Dancing in the Dark
by LawliPop
Summary: What did he want out of life? Health, a successful marriage – what did any of that matter? Nothing in the world could be better than this. AU. LxLight. Slight LxNaomi and LightxMisa.
1. Chapter 1

_Lawli: Yes, I know I have way too many fics out there that need to be completed, but I'm starting a new one anyways. Why? Because I want to attempt to write something for NaNoWriMo, that's why! Who knows if I'll actually be able to finish it in time, but I'll try my hardest! _

_Warnings__: Um... OOC everyone, most likely. And yaoi in later chapters. _

_Chapter Word Count:__ 3,268

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"_What do you want with your life?"_

_Light stared at him curiously, raising en eyebrow in silent question as the words repeated themselves over and over again in his mind. What did he want with his life? He shrugged his shoulders, turning his eyes on the man beside him. "Probably the same thing as you and everyone else in the world," he replied slowly, raising his drink to his lips and taking a slow sip. "Good health, a successful marriage (I suppose)... a steady income wouldn't be too bad, either."_

"_That is what everyone in the world wants?" asked his companion. _

_Light stared at him for a moment. "Well... most people. Probably not you; you never seem to go along with the norms of society." _

_There was a small laugh. "Too right you are," the other man agreed. "I find it much more exciting to forge my own path." _

_Light took another gulp of his drink, enjoying the pleasant buzz it created. He felt so warm, comfortable. All his troubles were ebbing away bit by bit, as the alcohol ensured that there was only room in his mind for enjoyable thoughts. "And you?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair, reaching a hand out to press it against the other man's chest, "Mr. Difficult, what is it that _you_ want out of life?" _

_For a moment, there was only silence. They stared at each other, eyes searching – searching for something that neither of them could define. Light could feel the heat of the other man's body soaking through the thin material of his white T-shirt; he swallowed, wondering why he suddenly felt warm and blaming it on the alcohol._

_The kiss was sudden, unexpected. He'd opened his mouth, and Light was sure that he was about to only verbalize his response, but suddenly those lips descended upon his own as a means of answering the question. Light should have known – should have realized that this man strived to always either exceed or go against one's expectations._

_Light's mouth was forcibly pried open and their teeth clashed together and he wanted to pull away but couldn't summon the strength to do so. The alcohol was impairing his judgment and the hands that came to rest on either side of his face prevented him from moving his head, and that mouth was just so inviting that Light didn't think he could have detached himself from it anyways._

_What did he want out of life? Health, a successful marriage – what did any of that matter? Nothing could be as good as this heat – nothing could be a pleasing as those hands; nothing in the world could be better than this.

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_**Dancing in the Dark  
**_(_Ballando nell'oscurità_)

**Capitolo Uno**

The studio was a small, hidden thing – tucked away between a large bank and an ice cream parlor. The yellow-white paint was chipped and vines grew up one side of the building. The sign overtop the single door flickered spasmodically, depicting a single word – _Dance_.

Yagami Light stood uncomfortably on the rectangular floral doormat, staring at the dance studio with a mixture of bitterness and nervousness swirling in his amber eyes. He'd been standing there in that exact position – rigidly still with his hands buried deep into the pockets of his black leather jacket – for over ten minutes now, mentally debating whether or not he would actually take the risk of stepping foot inside.

Soft piano music filtered from the studio through an open window, reaching the young man's ears and attempting to soothe his nerves and lull him into a state of comfort and grant him the courage to pull the door open and actually enter. Over the music, a strict voice could be heard giving instructions on what to do next – "first position, two-three-four, second position, five-six-seven, _Demi-Plié_, eight-nine – I am not seeing bent knees, Hana-san..."

Light bit down on his lower lip, still trying to gather the strength to enter the small building. It would be stupid of him to leave after coming all this way, but at the same time he felt as if actually going inside the dance studio would somehow make him less of a man. Real men weren't supposed to know how to dance, after all – they were too tough for that – and Light was a man who valued appearances; what would people think if they learned he was taking lessons in ballroom dancing? He did have the excuse that his wedding day was approaching, but still, not everyone would accept that reasoning.

"Did I forget to unlock the door again?"

Light shook himself of his thoughts, glancing to the side and taking notice of the figure standing behind the open window. A pale-faced man with unruly black hair and dark gray eyes stared back at him inquisitively.

Managing to find his voice, Light replied most unintelligently, "huh?"

The man's thin lips twitched upwards in the faintest of smiles. "The door," he said, gesturing to the door Light stood in front of. "Is it locked?"

He sounded quite amused. Light had the strangest desire to hit him. Turning his gaze back to the door, he leaned forwards and gave the knob an experimental twist, and was met with no resistance. "No, its not," he replied.

"Then is there any particular reason why you are still standing there?"

Light frowned at the sarcastic tone, eyes narrowing slightly. If this man was to be his instructor, then he wanted no part in taking lessons. Another glance in the window's direction showed that the man had disappeared; Light could only imagine where he had gone.

Several seconds later, to prove his guess correct, the door opened to reveal the man from the window. One quick look at him was all Light needed to deduce that there was no way this man could ever be a dance instructor. For one thing, his posture was absolutely terrible; he stood with his back hunched and his hands buried deeply in the pockets of his oversized blue jeans. Dancers were supposed to be lean and graceful; the man before Light appeared to be neither.

"Why don't you come inside?" he asked, stepping away from the archway so that Light would have room to enter.

Light accepted the invitation and did just that. Once he was inside, the man closed the door to prevent him from escaping. Light turned his eyes on him warily before taking in the small studio.

He never would have guessed that the room beyond those paint-chipped front walls could be so spacious and tidy, but it was. The floors were made of wood and polished so that Light could almost make out his own reflection in them if he squinted. The back wall and two side walls were covered entirely by mirrors and fastened to these mirrors was a long, horizontal bar. Standing alongside the _barre_, performing various warm-up exercises that coincided with the instructions given to them, was a group of ten or so children wearing matching black leotards.

A baby grand piano resided in the corner of the room, several feet away from a door leading most likely to the back offices and changing rooms, and situated on the piano stool, playing the notes to a classical song that Light, for the life of him, couldn't remember the name of, was a young woman who appeared to be in her middle to upper twenties. She was fairly attractive, though if Light were to be perfectly honest he would admit that she was a little on the plain side.

"Misora-san, we have company," the man who opened the door announced, slouching over to the piano. The woman looked up at him and he motioned to the front door so that she would take notice of Light's presence.

Light's eyes darted between the two of them, and he idly wondered if they were married. The woman stood up from the piano bench and moved over to Light with agility most befitting of a ballet instructor. As she came to stand before Light, she bowed respectfully to him.

"Welcome, I am Misora Naomi. I own this school."

Light bowed in return and introduced himself. "Yagami Light."

He offered her a charming smile and then turned expectantly to the man beside her, who was now chewing on his index finger and staring up at the mirrors attached to the ceiling. Realizing that he was being watched, the man lazily cast his charcoal eyes on Light and removed his finger from his mouth so that he could offer Light his hand in a very Western form of greeting.

Light stared at the hand as if it were diseased. Not letting this blatant disgust bother him, the man reached out and took hold of Light's hand, squeezing his long, pale fingers around the appendage and pumping his fist up and down in a firm shake.

"It is a pleasure to be formally introduced, Yagami-kun. I am L Lawliet."

As soon as he was able, Light wrenched his hand from L's grip. "Um, yes... a pleasure," he echoed, hardly meaning the words.

They spoke for several moments, questioning Light about his presence at the school. With a small amount of embarrassment, Light explained that he was in need of ballroom dancing lessons, to prepare for his upcoming wedding. This had earned a large smile from both instructors.

"Who is the lucky woman?" L asked, finger finding its way back into his mouth.

Light tried not to stare impolitely, but couldn't help himself, especially as L actually began to suck on his finger. Light cleared his throat and directed his gaze to the ground. "Amane Misa... perhaps you've heard of her, she's done some modeling."

L's eyes widened. "I am so jealous, Yagami-kun! I have been a fan of Amane-san since her first appearance in _Eighteen_! She is quite gorgeous."

Light found the idea of a grown man reading a magazine designed for teenaged girls to be absolutely ludicrous, but he couldn't deny the comment L made. Amane Misa was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met, and he was very lucky to be marrying such an attractive and well-respected woman.

However... his marriage with Amane Misa was an arranged one, set up by his parents several years ago; there was no way Light would ever marry someone like her by his own choice – for while physically she was any man's type, mentally they just did not connect. Misa valued things like fashion and gossip, and while she was two years older than Light she acted as though she was still stuck in her adolescent years; Light, on the other hand, did not – he'd never acted like a gossiping teenager, even back in High School – he had always been a serious person.

For the sake of his parents and keeping up appearances, Light agreed to marry Misa. It would look good for two attractive and successful people to be wed. And due to Misa's fame, the media would be all over the story of their wedding – already articles were being printed about their recently announced engagement.

"Well, congratulations. I wish you both very much happiness," Naomi said. "Now if you will excuse me... I do need to get back to my class." With a bow she left the two men and returned to the group of children who were staring at the adults with piqued interest.

L watched her for a moment, finger sliding across his bottom lip, before turning back to Light. He took a step forward before cocking his head in the direction of the hallway next to the baby Grand. "I'll show you around," he offered, moving before Light even had the chance to reply.

Light followed him silently, gazing with minute interest at the photographs that lined the blue-painted walls. He stopped in front of one, eyes widening as he recognized one of the figures in the pictures as L himself. "You're a ballet dancer?" he asked, astounded, giving L a once-over yet again.

A ghost of a smile appeared on L's face as he turned his focus on the photograph, a strange softness in his eyes as he outlined his own figure with the tip of his index finger. "Used to be."

_What happened_? Light wanted to ask, for the sake of a conversation, but L didn't allow him the opportunity to do so. As if snapping out of some kind of trance, the man turned away from his picture and began to walk down the hallway once again, tersely instructing Light to follow him.

"That is the restroom, and these are the changing rooms."

L didn't stop to show Light inside any of the facilities, only pointed them out with the wave of a hand as he passed them.

As they arrived at the end of the hallway, he pushed open the door to the final room in the building. "Misora-san's office is to the left, and this is my office." Making a sweeping motion with his arm, he invited Light inside.

The room was painted the same shade of powder blue as the hallway and was furnished with only two plush chairs and a mini-fridge that plugged into an outlet in the far corner of the room. Light quirked an eyebrow, taking in the multitude of papers – some important documents and bills and others, restaurant menus and scraps covered with doodles. In the very center of the clutter was a laptop computer.

"Please excuse the mess," L said offhandedly as he stepped over the latest edition of _Eighteen_ magazine – Light grimaced as he noticed Misa's radiant face on the cover, now positive that L hadn't been lying when he said he was an avid fan.

Light gingerly nudged aside a stack of manila envelopes to form a clearer path to one of the available chairs. "Its fine," he said once he reached the safety of the chair.

L shook his head, as if berating himself. "No, no. It must look terribly unprofessional of me. I apologize. I must seem like such a slob. But I suppose it can't be helped." He sighed and made his way over to the mini fridge. "Can I offer you something to eat or drink?"

Not expecting this sort of hospitality, Light chuckled. "That's okay, I didn't come for lunch," he informed. "All I wanted was some information about ballroom dancing lessons."

Making a humming noise in the back of his throat, L crouched before the refrigerator and opened it, rummaging around through its contents before he found what he desired. As he turned to face the other man once again, Light saw that he'd chosen a generous slice of strawberry cheesecake for himself. L situated himself on the floor in front of Light, facing him but not looking up at him – his focus was entirely on the cake.

"I see..." L stuffed a piece of cake in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "So, when is the big day?"

Light furrowed his brow, and then realized that L was obviously referring to his wedding. He shifted in his chair, resting his arm on the side cushion and placing his chin in the palm of his hand. "Two months from tomorrow," he replied, closing his eyes briefly. It was right around the corner, practically. Before he knew it, he would be standing at the end of the Church aisle, donned in his formal tuxedo and watching Misa approach him in a frilly white wedding dress.

"Hmm... getting close," L mused, swallowing his piece of cake and immediately carving another bite. "Do you have any experience dancing?"

He peeked up at Light through the curtain of his black bangs. Light scratched the back of his neck, wondering why he suddenly felt stupid for not knowing how to dance.

It was normal for a guy his age to have no awareness about this sort of thing; after all, dancing was mainly for women, right? Light was only familiar with grinding, and that was because, as a young teenager, he'd gone through the normal hormonal phase in high school that permitted him to shamelessly rub up on girls and call it 'dancing'.

Assessing the prolonged silence, L came to his own conclusion. "High school dances?" he guessed, not needing Light to affirm the answer. "I figured. You don't look the type to regularly attend formal gala events."

Light wondered if he should feel offended or not, but decided not to waste time dawdling on something so unimportant. "No, I don't."

The only parties he went to were the annual Holiday parties that some other guys at the office he worked at put together each year for the employees and their families. On rare occasions he accompanied Misa to her social events, but there was hardly ever dancing at those parties.

L took in another mouthful of cheesecake. "I think we should sign you up for the six week course."

"Six weeks? Would it really take that long?"

Charcoal eyes briefly roamed Light's body, sizing him up. He was in good shape, L could tell by the way his shirt outlined the muscles of his arms, but that did not matter so much when it came to ballroom dancing. For ballroom dancing, one needed fluidity, poise, and charm... One might never guess by stealing a look at L, but he was a master of all three of those, and then some. Light, while he did possess a natural sort of grace and charm, still needed to strengthen those attributes so that they would truly shine when he was sharing the first dance with his lovely bride.

"Perhaps not... It depends on how quick a student you are and how much time you're willing to devote to learning." Setting aside his cake momentarily, L shuffled through some of the papers beside him. "Aha." Finding what he was looking for, he plucked the leaf of paper up by the very corner and presented it to Light. "Here is a tentative schedule of lessons. Mondays and Wednesdays are entirely devoted to my and Misora-san's ballet classes. Tuesdays we are closed to the public... I believe Thursday would be the best day. Thursdays at seven-o-clock... does that work with your schedule, Yagami-kun?"

Light nodded his head. "That should be fine."

"Excellent."

L reached forward, pressing a random key on the laptop to clear away the screensaver. The sound of clicking filled the air as he began typing at a rapid pace. "I'm scheduling you in now. May I just ask for your address and phone number?"

Light gave him the information he desired, also explaining that he would be paying for the lessons by check – he'd have it with him when he started lessons the following Thursday.

L gave him a business card with contact information and then reclaimed his piece of cake, picking up where he left off with it. As he finished off the slice, he continued to explain the breakdown of lessons, the sort of things that Light would be learning – "of course, it will be Misora-san teaching you all of this," he reminded Light every so often. He also gave instruction as to the sort of clothes to wear – dress for comfort at first, and to impress later.

"I am very glad to have met you, Yagami-kun," L smiled once their little talk had ended. "I can assure you that by the time your lessons are through, you will be ready to sweep Amane-san off of her feet."

Giving a small chuckle, Light thanked him. "I'll see you on Thursday then, I suppose."

"I suppose," L echoed with a slight bob of the head.

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_Lawli: Good? Bad? Utterly ridiculous? Let me know, please! I'll be back soon with an update, hopefully!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Lawli: Thanks so much to **Endless Sorrow**, **JediMasterWithAPen**, **milk0bar**, **kid9535**, **critic**, **whitelilly**, and **How-to-die-swiftly **for reviewing the first chapter! Also thanks to everyone else who read the first chapter. I was a little hesitant about actually posting this fanfic, since it's such a weird idea (dancer L and all... I still don't know what I was thinking when I came up with that, haha!)_

_Please enjoy the next chapter. I think this is quite possibly the quickest update I've ever done! Yay for Nanowrimo forcing me to write so fast..._

_Chapter word count: 2,357  
Total word count: 5,625 / 50,000

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Capitolo Due

The first lesson was an absolute nightmare. Light really shouldn't have expected anything less, but he was quite surprised at how genuinely awful a dancer he was. He was used to being good at anything he set his mind to, yet he couldn't manage to stop stepping on his poor instructor's feet. Luckily, Misora Naomi was a patient woman. She probably had tons of men just like him that stepped on her feet whenever she tried teaching them; Light couldn't be the only man who'd ever had such a difficult time learning.

"Sorry," Light apologized for about the fifth time that evening as yet again Naomi's toe fell victim to the weight of his foot.

She laughed softly and shook her head. "It's all right, Yagami-kun. Just relax."

"No, this is useless."

"Don't be so negative," Naomi chastised. "Now, take my hand again." She clasped his left hand with her right and raised them back into the air. "Make sure the right side of your torso is in contact with mine, and keep your hand on my upper back." She placed her left hand on his upper arm, near his shoulder. "What position is this?" she asked him, meeting his eyes.

"Closed position," Light answered easily.

"Very good," Naomi said, movie now so that the middle of her front connect with the right side of Light's body. She slid the hand on her back upwards slightly so that it rested just under her arm. "And this?"

"Promenade."

"Right. Now, we're going to move on to the forward walk. I want you to be aware of the positioning of your feet. You must be conscious of where you are moving them without having to look at where you are going – I noticed you've been doing that, and I'll let it slide for now since this is just your first lesson."

She let go of him and moved several paces to the side to put some distance in between them. "Begin in a normal standing position." She stood straight with her feet together and her arms minimally abducted from her body. "The first step," she informed, bending her knees slightly, "is compression. Flex your knees and start to shift your body weight onto the balls of your feet. Let me see you do that."

Light sighed and tried to copy her movements, bending his knees and attempting to put his body weight on his feet.

"Okay, next comes extension. Swing your moving leg forward from the hip." She demonstrated and Light did his best to mimic her. "Release the toe of the moving foot, but make sure you keep your heel in contact with the floor. If you're doing it right, then your body weight should continue to move forward between your feet, and your other heel should start to lift from the floor."

She proceeded to show him the remaining two movements in the forward walk – the mid-stride and the follow-through, and while trying his hardest to master them on his first try Light couldn't stop thinking about how utterly ridiculous he looked.

"Let's try again, a little faster this time."

Nodding his consent, Light moved back into the standard position and slowly began the forward walk again with constant verbal assistance from the dance instructor. As he was leaning his weight forward, he nearly lost balance, but managed to steady himself before he could trip. His lips pursed together in a thin line and concentrated, and with Naomi's guidance he was able to go through the four steps without much problem.

Naomi moved over to the _barre_ and leaned against it, still facing her student and keeping a well-trained eye on him. "Try it by yourself this time," she suggested, crossing her arms over his chest, "and then perhaps we'll move on."

Light sighed but did as was asked of him. Really, the repetitiveness of this lesson was so aggravating. But he knew he couldn't move forward unless he mastered the most basic of steps. He just wished it wouldn't take so long...

"How are the lessons coming along?"

The loudly spoken question knocked Light from his thoughts just as he was about to start the first step. Irritated amber orbs flickered over to the cause of the disturbance. L was standing beside the baby Grand piano, munching absently on a donut and staring back at Light with a glint of amusement in his charcoal-colored eyes. Frowning, Light refocused back on the task at hand.

"Don't let my presence bother you," L said, striding over to Naomi, "I just wanted to observe the newcomer on his first day." He slid down into a crouching position, drawing his knees up to his chest. Taking another bite of the donut, and smearing maple frosting on his chin as he did so, he waved his free hand in Light's general direction. "Please, continue."

Light flexed his knees in accordance with the first step and just as he was about to move one of his feet forward, he was yet again interrupted.

"Yagami-kun bends his knees too much," L told Naomi, in a voice easily loud enough for Light to hear, given his close proximity to the two dance instructors.

Naomi chose to ignore L for the time being and instead gave Light a supportive smile.

Light also did his best to block out L's presence entirely, but even as he tried focusing on what he was doing – which wasn't even that hard, why was it taking him so long to complete the damn forward walk?! – the sound of L's lips smacking together as he took bits from the maple donut seeped into his mind and refused to go away. And then, of course, L proceeded to comment on every movement he made and criticize his posture, or the angle of his arms, or anything else he could think up.

"L, hush. This is only his first lesson. You can't expect him to be an expert."

L finished off the last of his donut, sighing in satisfaction and wiping his hands together to get rid of the excess crumbs afterwards. He stood back up, glancing between Naomi and Light. "My apologies... but Yagami-kun must know that there will be a lot of loud chatter going on whilst he is sharing the first dance with his bride..."

Light sent a fierce glare in L's direction. "Yes, but I hardly think that people will be commenting on my dancing skills –"

"—Or lack thereof," L interrupted.

"Don't be cheeky, L," Naomi chastised, closing her eyes, "it's really not becoming of you."

L gave her a skeptical look. "Nonsense. You love it."

"Can we just get on with the lesson?" Light demanded, quickly growing impatient with all of this useless banter. "I can't stay here all night."

L nodded his head solemnly. "Yes, people will suspect that Yagami-kun is having an affair if they do not know where he really is – which I imagine they don't, considering the way that Yagami-kun keeps peeking over his shoulder to look out the window, as if to check that no one he knows is walking by."

Light's eyes narrowed. Had he really been doing that so obviously? "This is a surprise for Misa-san," he explained, all the while knowing that he shouldn't even have to explain himself to the other man but feeling the need to do so anyways. "I don't want anyone who might recognize me to notice me in here; they might tell her."

L leaned forward, bringing a thumb to his mouth. "Are you sure that you aren't just embarrassed, Yagami-kun?" he pressed taking a step towards the brunette man. "You are in a dance studio, after all... that is hardly the most masculine of places, I'm sure, in your opinion."

"What does any of this matter?" Light, fed up with being spoken to in such a mocking tone, wanted to know.

"It matters," L said, advancing on Light, "because without an appreciation for this art, you will be unable to perform it properly. If you believe that what you are doing is humiliating, emasculating in some way then you will only come across as a fool, and your performance will be unbelievable, and you will always step on a poor lady's foot when attempting a waltz, no matter how much you practice."

Extending an arm, L beckoned Naomi over. She came to stand beside him without question, positioning the front of her body against the right half of L's torso, clasping her fingers around his left hand in an upper-hand clasp. L's back straightened like a board – proper posture was important.

They fit together perfectly in the promenade position, looking much more natural like that than Light knew he and Misa would. Naomi's arm rested perfectly on L's, and when they moved, they moved as one fluid being. L advance in a perfectly paced forward walk as Naomi moved backwards in accordance to the movements of the waltz, and not once did Light see the telltale grimace appear on her face that would allude to the fact that her toes had been trampled on.

"It matters, Yagami-kun, because when one dances, they are creating beauty." They turned and started in another direction. "If you do not believe that what you are doing is beautiful, or that the person you are with is special..." Naomi sent him an endearing look as they turned again, "your dance will be ugly." L paused in the middle of the dance. "And if it is ugly, then it is a bad reflection of Misora-san and myself."

Releasing Naomi's hand, L took a step away from her, bowing respectfully as he did so, like a perfect gentleman. His charcoal eyes turned on Light, lips twitching upwards in a half-smirk. "Please continue with your lesson. I wouldn't want to be responsible for keeping Yagami-kun here longer than necessary... it may drain the masculinity right out of him."

Was this the same man he'd met on Monday? The L on Monday hadn't been so... sarcastic. Was he like this to all of his pupils? (Light felt bad for his regular students, if that was the case).

Naomi was staring at L with look of disapproval on her face, but after a moment her expression became neutral. She put an apologetic smile on her face as she turned her attention back to Light.

"Let's pick up where we left off, shall we? You're doing just fine."

After L's little demonstration, Light could hardly bring himself to believe her, but he accepted the words anyways. They started again on a run-through of the forward walk.

* * *

"You hurt yourself today," Naomi said, reclining on the bed.

L, who was already comfortably settled on his own side of the bed, scoffed and folded his arms behind his head.

"Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about, either. I saw that grimace on your face; you put too much strain on your back. You know you shouldn't have done that..."

She sighed when he didn't make any move to acknowledge the words. Stubborn as always, that was her L... it was a painful subject for him, she knew... she knew it hurt him – the fact that he couldn't move like he used to, couldn't dance like he used to.

"I don't even understand what you were trying to prove. It just wasn't like you..."

"Do you remember when we used to dance together?" L asked suddenly, turning over onto his side so that he faced her.

Naomi's light gray eyes stared straight into L's, unblinking. She remembered, of course she remembered. Those were some of the best years of her life; she would never forget them. It was the same with L – thoughts of those days, the good ol' days they would sometimes refer to them jokingly as, always lingered in the back of his mind; if he had a chance to go back to those days, she knew he would in a heartbeat...

L liked to dwell on the past, as painful as it was.

She felt him scooting closer to her, felt the warmth of his body as he curled against her, his arms winding around her stomach and his head resting against her collarbone. His long eyelashes tickled her skin as they closed slowly. She held him close to her, wanting to bring comfort even though she didn't understand what was wrong.

"Do you think I will ever be able to do that again?"

Naomi sighed, bringing a hand to rest on L's back, and remained quiet. Her answer would displease him, because she knew that he most likely would never be able to dance the way he wanted too. He could never again be a beloved star, not after the Accident... there was no possible way his body would ever be able to do the things it used to; it was too worn.

It had been five years since he'd stepped foot on a stage, and he missed it so much, she knew. He missed the spotlights, the music, the applause from an awestruck audience – he missed the movements and being able to hold her in the air and twirl her around as if she were weightless.

"I feel like a failure, Naomi. Dancing is all I'm good at, all I know... and I can't even do that."

"...The Yagami boy... he is talented for a beginner," Naomi said, softly. L nodded his consent begrudgingly. "He almost reminds me of you, when you were first learning the waltz. But you were correct when you said that he does not respect the art of dance. I could see it in his eyes, there was no appreciation for what he was doing."

L's breathing had grown fairly even, but Naomi knew better than to think he was asleep. L never slept, at least not fully – and never so early.

"Perhaps he just does not have the motivation."

L spoke after a moment. "He is getting married – to Amane Misa, of all people. What more motivation does he need?" he wondered.

_The same motivation you need, L._

"Go to sleep, L."

* * *

_Lawli: Can't get the image of L doing the waltz out of my head now. -giggle- _

_Good? Bad? Still utterly ridiculous? Please let me know! See you next chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Lawli: More quick updates! I swear it's so weird to be posting a chapter this early..._

Chapter word count: 4,391  
Total word count: 10,016 / 50,000

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**Capitolo Tre**

In the center of the room, there was a music boxThe top of the ceramic box had been pulled open, revealing a tiny plastic ballerina who twirled elegantly in one spot. A soft melody played from the box, coaxing the ballerina inside to dance. It was a song all too familiar to the inhabitant of the room – a lullaby that he'd often had sung to him when he was a child. A voice rang in the back of his mind, soft and soothing and distant at the same time.

"_Tiny dancer, tiny dancer, dancing in the dark_

_Lovely dancer, lovely dancer, an enticing spark"_

A lethargic smile appeared on his face and positioned he arms as if he was holding an infant, and rocked his arms back and forth, as if trying to put that infant to sleep.

_Hush little baby, don't cry. Let me sing to you. Let me sing to you the lullaby my mother sang to me when I was a baby like you._

"_Tiny dancer, tiny dancer, please look over here_

_Lovely dancer, lovely dancer, never disappear."_

He closed his eyes and could see himself, could see her.

"_Ah, here comes my little dancer now!"_

_The sound of childish laughter filled the air as a young boy stepped lightly into the room, a grin on his face. The woman at the opposite end of the room sent him an affectionate look and held her arms out to beckon him over. _

"_Tiny dancer, tiny dancer, show me what you've learned," she commanded softly, and he obediently raised his arms above his head and twirled. Wisps of his black hair fell in his eyes, shading them from view. The woman continued to smile, watching his every movement. When the turn was complete, she clapped her hands. "What a wonderful pirouette," she praised. "I am very impressed."_

"_Are you really?" he asked, beaming up at her. _

_She gave a slight nod of the head and reached forward, running a hand through his bedraggled hair. "Yes. I have no doubt in my mind that, one day, you will be a very successful cavalier." _

_The boy looked down at the floor, rubbing one foot against the other nervously. "Papa doesn't like me dancing," he said, softly. "He says it's only for girls."_

"_Your father is an ignorant man," the woman replied, closing her eyes. "Don't listen to what he tells you."_

"_He might stop letting me come to lessons..."_

"_Will that make you sad?"_

_The boy nodded his head. "Very sad... dancing is the only thing that I can share with you."_

_She smiled and drew him into a comforting embrace. "Then don't let him take that away from you. If he forbids you to go to lessons, then practice on your own. I have faith in you, you can learn. You will be wonderful, I promise. One day, you'll be famous."_

* * *

"I'm sorry about what happened last week." 

Light quirked an eyebrow, glancing at Misora Naomi from over his shoulder. She was donned in a comfortable pair of gray sweatpants that matched the color of her eyes and a baggy white sweater – one that looked curiously similar to the one L had been wearing during the previous lesson; his suspicion about the two being married (or, at the very lease, intimate) rose a fraction, but he dismissed those thoughts for the time being, deciding to come back to them later.

"You don't have to apologize," he assured, shrugging off his coat and hanging it up on the appropriate rack. Naomi hadn't done anything wrong – it was L who had acted like a pompous jerk, not her.

Naomi lowered her gaze to the floor, releasing a small breath of air through her nose. "I know I don't," she said, "but I felt like I should anyways... L wouldn't want me too; he's never been the type of person to say that he's sorry, or even admit to being in the wrong. But I hope you can accept the apology from me."

Light shook his head. "I don't think it constitutes as an apology if you have to say it for him," he replied.

"I suppose it doesn't," Naomi agreed quietly.

She turned away from him and took several paces towards the nearest mirrored wall. Light's eyes remained trained on her back as he waited for her to say something more – perhaps explain _why_ she was apologizing for L in the first place; L was a grown man, he should be able to get off his high horse and take responsibility for his own actions – not force his wife (or girlfriend, or _whatever_ Misora Naomi was to him) to do that in his place.

Naomi seemed to understand that he was waiting for something, judging by the way she bowed her head as if she was surrendering.

"L... he's a very passionate man," she began, and he could tell she was attempting to pick her words carefully. "The only problem is that he doesn't quite know how to express his emotions. Dancing... that had always been his outlet."

"And he doesn't do that anymore," Light finished for her, moving onto the polished wooden floor. Noticing the wide-eyed, inquisitive expression on her face, he grinned and shook his head. "I saw one of his pictures on the wall," he told her, gesturing to the hallway that led to the back offices, restrooms, and changing areas. "He said he used to do ballet..."

"Oh, I see."

For a moment there, Naomi thought that L had actually told Light about the accident. But of course, L wouldn't reveal anything about that – not to a stranger, not to a man that L could find traces of himself in. It would never happen.

"So I take it he must have gotten injured?" Light questioned, raising one of his hands in the air for her to take.

Naomi curled her fingers around Light's, fitting herself against his body as well as she could in a closed position. It didn't feel the same as when L held her close like this. She didn't want to be thinking about that – didn't want to be thinking of L in that way; it was dangerous, for both of them. They were friends, very close friends – sometimes even intimate friends – but they were not lovers, despite what most people believed. The thought crossed her mind anyways, though only for a brief moment.

"Show me your forward walk," Naomi commanded, hoping to brush the subject of L out of her mind. What was important now was the education of her student. Light needed to be focusing on performing the movements correctly – not asking questions about L. Why was he even asking her in the first place? L obviously hadn't made a decent impression on the young man, so why did Light care if he had been injured or not?

"I take your evasion to mean 'yes'," Light guessed, smiling, only to frown as the woman released a pained gasp. One glance downwards confirmed that her right foot was caught underneath his left. "Sorry," he apologized quickly, flushing. He should be concentrating; what was the matter with him?

"Quite all right," Naomi said dismissively. "Just pay attention to what you're doing."

Light nodded his head and did as instructed. Compression, extension, mid-stride, follow-up... Compression, extension, mid-stride –

"—Ouch!"

"Sorry!"

"Try again, please."

Compression, extension, mid-stride, follow-up. Compression, extension, mid-stride, follow up.

Light didn't know why the thoughts wouldn't leave his mind. L had unknowingly sparked an interest in his mind, and now that he had a possible explanation for L's behavior the previous week, he wanted to know even more.

Naomi knew – she knew a lot about L, that much was certain. And that was another thing that Light was curious about – the relationship between the two dance instructors. They didn't share a surname, so the chances of them being married were rather slim – unless Naomi was one of those proud women who refused to go along with the norms of society and take on her husband's name.

Compression, extension, mid-stride, follow-up. Compression, extension, mid-stride, follow up.

"Very good."

Light grinned. "I think I'm getting the hang of it," he declared, right before bringing his foot down upon Naomi's most likely already-bruised toes. "Or perhaps I spoke too soon."

"Obviously," Naomi agreed. She shook her head, wondering how her toes hadn't broken by this point. "Lets try again."

* * *

L observed the lesson from the safety of the hallway, keeping his presence unknown this time around. He hoped that Light would perform better when not aware that he was under the scrutiny of the dance instructor's watchful eye. Alas, this belief didn't last long. Obviously, Light had learned next to nothing from his demonstration last Thursday. Light was still as dispassionate as ever, and slightly even more clumsy – judging by the amount of times he tripped or stepped on Naomi's foot. 

Reminding himself to give the woman a well-earned foot massage when they returned home that evening, L turned away from the pair in the studio, unable to bear the sight any longer. What a disappointment.

He maneuvered his way quietly to his office, situating himself in front of his laptop. Resting on the floor, just where he'd left it, was a small plate of pumpkin spice fudge. He delicately grasped a slice of fudge between his thumb and forefinger and brought it to his lips, wondering how long the lesson would last tonight.

All of his classes were finished for the day so, really, he didn't even have a reason to still be lazing around the studio – except for the excuse that he wanted to walk Naomi home. It was stupid, but he almost always stayed behind to walk her wherever she needed to go at the end of the day – whether it was to lead her back to the apartment they shared (had been sharing for the past few years) or to drop her off at her boyfriend's house for the night. She usually did the same for him, too; though, unlike her, L never had anywhere else to go except their apartment – never had anyone else to visit.

... Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. He had more important things to worry about – namely, his actions the previous Thursday.

Naomi was still curious about it, L knew; he had never given her a straight answer in response to the several questions she'd posed about it. She'd long ago dropped the subject, but L could still see the inquisitive glimmer in her grey eyes – she wanted to know, but was too polite to persist in badgering him about it. She deserved an explanation; he'd acted rather out of character, she deserved to know the reason why.

But L didn't have an answer to give her. He didn't even know the reason himself.

Perhaps Naomi was right in assuming that he was jealous of Yagami Light – she'd never suggested this to him directly, but L knew she'd been thinking it when she innocently stated her opinion of her student being '_good'_. The young man was a natural – anyone with a working pair of eyes could see that. If he put his mind to what he was doing – stopped viewing it as humiliating and really put his heart into learning – L could see him becoming an expert rather quickly. But Light didn't recognize his own talent. (L's insults probably hadn't helped very much in letting him do so, either.)

Was he jealous? Light was young, handsome, and a quick study. He picked up on the movements of the dance right away, memorizing the names of all the steps in a heartbeat, though executing them took him more than a few tries.

L, on the other hand, was nearing thirty – in his own mind, he was old, no longer in the prime of his life; rather, he was easing down the hill of life... while Light was still steadily climbing up the slope. L was past his peak – an injured man, who couldn't even participate in the one thing he loved most.

But Light could perform flawlessly if he wanted to, if he tried.

That was what made L so angry.

Light could do it – Light could excel as a dancer. He had the right build, the right charm, and the right amount of confidence in himself. But he didn't care. To Light, dancing was stupid – L's passion was stupid.

_The same mentality as father._

The piece of fudge dropped from L's fingers, landing on the floor beside his right foot.

"L?"

He glanced upwards, spotting Naomi standing in the doorway of his office. Was the lesson already over? No, it was only seven-ten. Another thirty minutes to go, at least. Unless... perhaps Light became so frustrated that he walked out? It would hardly surprise L.

"I thought you might want to see the progress Yagami-kun has made since last week."

Charcoal eyes lowered to the piece of fudge. L stared at it for a moment before standing up and making his way out the door.

"What have you worked on today?" he asked, though he already knew the answer thanks to peeking in on their session earlier.

"We revisited the forward walk, started the backward walk... and we just started the first steps of the waltz," Naomi replied.

Light was sitting in the center of the room, a tired look on his face. L could see little beads of sweat clinging to his forehead, just above his dark brown eyebrows; he resisted the urge to snort. _Tired out already?_

Rolling his eyes, L brushed past him to stand in front of the _barre_. "On your feet, Yagami-kun," he ordered, though not in a cruel manner. "I want to see you dancing, not sitting there like a bump on a log."

Light let out a clearly annoyed sound from the back of his throat but rose to his feet nevertheless. He turned to Naomi for instruction.

"Start off with your forward walk and continue from there. I guarantee L will have no criticism today."

- - -

L pulled his coat around himself. His breath appeared in front of his face in small white clouds. Dark eyes narrowed in annoyance; he hated the cold. As he stepped through the double doors of the apartment building that led to the crowded downtown streets, winding his light blue scarf around his neck as he did so, he sighed and took one last look behind him. His eyes immediately located a specific room on the fifth flour, where he could see a shadow moving from behind the white-curtained window.

L liked Raye Penber, he really did. Raye was a nice man, a good man, who truly and genuinely cared for Naomi. L knew that he loved her very much, and that he also understood that L loved her very much as well (though, in a sort-of different way); he knew it, and he accepted it – accepted that L and Naomi lived together, sometimes even slept in the same room together. There were not too many men in the world who would allow their girlfriends to be so close to another man. But Raye was a good man; L liked him very much.

But he hated dropping Naomi off at Raye's apartment – loathed it, even, and dreaded the days when he would have to let her go to him. Once she left, she usually didn't come back until very late the next day. It was understandable for her to want time alone with her boyfriend – Raye was out of town often, thanks to his job, so whatever time she had to spend with him was always fully taken advantage of.

L continued down the street, his face turned upwards, facing the sky. There was a pensive expression on his pale face.

Naomi's alone time with Raye meant that he would be on his own for the night – and possibly a majority of the next day. What to do with the night?

He decided his first stop would be a café. He was freezing; a nice cup of tea or coffee would do the trick in warming up his shivering insides.

Bells tinkled merrily as he stepped through the door. The café was a small thing, quaintly decorated with wooden floors, a plush loveseat in the corner with a bookshelf beside it, and a five foot long granite countertop, crowded with several coffee machines and flavor additives. Beside the countertop was a shelf that showcased a variety of many different mouth-watering confections.

"Can I help you, sir?"

L looked over the counter at the young girl who stood on the opposite side, smiling cheerfully at him and waiting to place his order. Nodding his head very slightly, L pointed to a specific dessert behind the glass shelf. "I'll try the tiramisu," he replied, "and... for a drink," is eyes darted up to the menu on the back wall, scanning the list of available coffees. "A large caramel latte."

The young girl nodded, punching the cost of both orders into the cash register. "That'll be 479 yen, please."

L extracted his wallet from the back pocket of his oversized jeans, opened it, and began to sift through the bills until he retrieved the appropriate amount. He handed her the exact change and in return, she passed him a receipt which marked his order number and also a paper bag containing the slice of cake he'd requested. After thanking her, L moved away from the register, making his way over to the couch to sit while he waited for the girl to make his coffee.

While he waited, he set to work on demolishing the slice of tiramisu he'd ordered. Faintly he heard the sound of bells chiming as the first bite found its way into his eagerly waiting mouth.

A satisfied noise passed his lips. He was not terribly fond of Italian desserts, but tiramisu always brought a smile on his face. The perfect combination of mascarpone, espresso, and rum, sprinkled lightly with cocoa powder made for one exceptional treat for his taste buds. Never one to waste time when it came to eating, L quickly carved another bite for himself, popping it into his mouth and chewing to savor the flavor.

"Are desserts all you eat?" a voice asked from behind him.

L blinked, easily recognizing the familiar tenor voice. He didn't have to turn his head to see who it was, but he did so anyways. Yagami Light stood beside the arm of the couch, his head tilted curiously to the side.

"Yagami-kun, what a pleasant surprise."

Light's lips quirked upwards into a slight smirk; L certainly didn't sound excited to see him there. Without being invited to do so, he took a seat beside the dance instructor, watching in slight amusement as the older man continued to devour the tiramisu.

"Nice to see you too," Light said politely, removing his coat and placing it in the gap between himself and L. A silence briefly settled between them before Light inclined his head in the direction of the cake, motioning towards it with his hand as well for extra emphasis. "So do you eat anything else other than sweets?" he wondered, as the few times he'd witnessed L eating, the man had always had some kind of dessert in his hands.

L frowned thoughtfully, resting the tip of his fork against his chin. "...On occasion," he replied slowly. "But sweets tend to increase my thinking abilities, so I normally favor them."

One brown eyebrow arched in bemusement and Light fought the urge to burst out laughing, as that was quite honestly one of the most ridiculous things he'd ever heard in his entire life. "Is that so?" he asked, an obvious chuckle in his voice.

"Yes, it is. Without sweets, my reasoning skills drop by twenty percent," L explained matter-of-factly, nodding his head and taking another bite of his tiramisu. "And, they drop an additional forty percent if I do not sit with my legs up."

Light blinked, noticing for the first time that L's knees were drawn up to his chest in a position that mirrored the one he'd seen him in the few times at the dance studio. At the time, Light had only thought he'd sat that way because there were not any available chairs to sit in at the studio, but obviously not. L sat in an upright fetal position on the couch as if it were the most natural thing in the world. What a peculiar man...

"So what is it you need to be thinking so deeply about?"

L captured Light's gaze and held it for several seconds before returning his focus back to his tiramisu. "There are many things, Yagami-kun. At all times of the day I have many troubles plaguing my mind, all of which I attempt to sort through," he explained to the other man. "Among these troubles is you, Yagami-kun."

This information took Light by surprise. Him? How was he a trouble to L? He hadn't done anything to the other man, had he? Unless he was still upset about Light's not being passionate about his ballroom dancing lessons...?

"How so?" he wondered, staring curiously at L, who did not spare him a glance.

"Number sixty-four!" the girl from the counter called out. "I have a large caramel latte for number sixty-four!"

L placed his feet on the ground and stood up with a sigh. His head turned very slightly to the side, but Light could not discern if he was looking at him or at the half-eaten slice of cake he was leaving behind. The barista handed him his drink order with a cheerful smile, and he accepted it with a nod and a faint smile of his own before returning to the loveseat where Light was now flipping through a magazine that he'd taken from the coffee table.

"You don't seem like the type of man to read _Eighteen_," L pointed out as he reclaimed his seat, immediately folding his legs up and pressing them to his chest. He took an experimental sip of his coffee, and ended up burning his tongue in the process. A wrinkle appeared on his forehead as he scowled at the Styrofoam cup in his hands distastefully. Much too hot; why couldn't people make decent coffee at these places?

Light laughed softly in agreement. L was quite talented when it came to reading him, though Light figured that this was one fact that wouldn't be too hard to discern. Most grown men didn't make a habit of reading every addition of _Eighteen_ in print – in fact, L was probably the only grown man in the world who did. "You're right, I'm not. Normally I wouldn't even look at it. But today I have an obligation to."

At L's prompting stare, he flipped to a certain page in the magazine and held it out for his companion to see. Filling one entire page was a picture of Amane Misa's face. She was grinning at the camera, one eye closed in a flirtatious wink, her lips puckered as if kissing the air. On the next page, there was an article entitled _SUPERMODEL SPILLS ALL... Amane Misa reveals thoughts about her up-and-coming marriage to son of Japan's Chief of Police._

L took the magazine carefully in his hands after setting the latte aside, holding it in a peculiar fashion as he did all things – pinching the pages between his thumb and forefinger and holding it almost a foot away from his face. Charcoal eyes scanned the page quickly, skimming through the interview. "Ah, Yagami-kun's name is mentioned in here several times... it appears that Amane-san is very excited about the wedding."

Light nodded his head, leaning back in the sofa and crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes... she's been dreaming about this ever since we first met, I think."

Sensing the lack of enthusiasm Light's voice, L lowered the magazine. "Yagami-kun is not happy to be marrying Amane-san?"

Sighing, Light's amber eyes fell shut. "It isn't that... I'm very happy to marry Misa-san, she is a wonderful person."

L raised a hand to his mouth and placed the tip of his index finger against his lower lip. He stared at the ceiling, eyes slightly narrowed as if in deep thought. "So... Yagami-kun _is _excited to marry her, then?" he corrected himself, sounding almost uncertain of the assumption he was making.

It wasn't that either. Light didn't feel like explaining his complicated feelings about the matter to the partner (or whatever...) of his dance instructor. L would hardly be able to understand, and it really was not any of his business anyways, so Light had no reason to tell him – nor did L have any reason to ask.

"Number sixty-seven! Medium hazelnut latte for sixty-seven!"

Saved by the barista. Light stood and walked over to the granite countertop, picking up his order which rested at the very end of it. He could sense L's eyes on him as he moved back to the couch to retrieve his jacket.

"I'm afraid I have to go," Light said, setting his coffee cup down for a moment in order to put on his coat in preparation for heading back into the chilly night.

"Yagami-kun is leaving so soon?" L inquired with a frown. "I was hoping we could talk some more."

"Oh? Why is that?" Light wondered, once again taking possession of the latte.

L shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and finished off the last bite of tiramisu. "Yagami-kun has a very nice voice; I enjoy listening to him when he talks," he replied easily.

Light's body stiffened. He was unsure of what to feel about the comment. Should he take it as a compliment or an insult, or should he just act indifferent about it? He ended up only standing there with wide eyes boring into the back of L's skull. He didn't say anything for several moments, and only then it was to excuse himself.

"Yes, well... I'm afraid I am meeting up with Misa-san. I'll see you on Thursday."

"Yes, Thursday," L concurred, and with that Light left him to wonder what to do with the rest of the night.

* * *

_Lawli: Next chapter will be up probably Sunday or Monday. Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Lawli: I was almost afraid that I wouldn't make it in time! But here I am, updating again! I think we can see L and Light becoming a bit closer in this chapter, but I hope I'm not rushing things too much. Please read and review!_

_Chapter Word Count: 3,793  
Total Word Count: 13,809 / 50,000_

**

* * *

**

Capitolo Quattro 

_It was the summer of 1993. L was fourteen years old, seated in the front row of the theatre next to his best friend and staring with sparkling charcoal eyes at the performers on stage, wishing desperately to be one of them. His attention was directed wholly on the performance, his mind so immersed that he hardly paid attention to the jokes cracked by his best friend about the costumes the dancers wore. _

_The lights dimmed to signal the arrival of the prima ballerina, and even his chattering friend sucked in a breath and fell silent as she revealed herself to the astounded audience. She was dressed in all white, which contrasted greatly with her black hair and grey eyes. The only other color on her person was a rose-petal red ribbon that wound through her hair. L stared at it, the vibrant color holding his gaze and refusing to let it go. It was so lovely. _

_She danced on her own for several moments before taking the hand of a young cavalier. Their dance was perfect, flawless, and he could feel his stomach churning with what felt like jealousy. It was so beautiful – she was so beautiful, like an angel dressed in all of that white – and even though he sat in the front row, that beauty was so far away from him._

_He'd taken one rose with him to the performance, as was his custom. Instead of buying a whole bouquet to pass out to all of the dancers, L only brought a single rose with him – one to bestow upon the ballerina or cavalier who, in his mind, had the loveliest performance of all. Usually it took him a great deal of time to figure out who deserved the rose, but on this evening the answer came to him in a flash of white and a glimmer of shiny red hair ribbon. _

_When the recital was over, he waited in the back of the House, his charcoal eyes trained on the stage, watching as stagehands cleared the stage and set up for the next show. _

"_Hey Lawliet!"_

_L turned his head to the door where his friend was standing, staring at him with curious red-brown eyes. Beside him at the door were several other boys from the orphanage. He waved his hand at them as a silent means of telling them to go on without him. The other boys did so, moving away from the door and disappearing down the stone steps. Only one remained in the doorway._

"_What are you waiting for?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly. _

_L didn't answer him, only averted his attention back to the stage. The curtains in the back of the stage moved gently back and forth as people walked briskly behind them. He twirled the rose carefully between his fingers, mindful of the dangerously sharp thorns that protruded from the green stem. _

"_Lawliet... hey, L, I'm talking to you, you know! You could at least answer."_

_L sighed and gestured with his rose to the stage. "I apologize... it's just...I haven't given my rose away yet, Ryuuzaki," he explained easily. "I'm still waiting."_

_The other boy, Ryuuzaki, gave a slight nod of understanding before stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. "I think you're waiting for nothing," he voiced his opinion, his red-brown eyes focused intently on the floor. "I think I saw her leave with her partner."_

_No, she couldn't have left yet. That was a lie. Ryuuzaki was lying to him – Ryuuzaki always hated that he gave roses away; he thought it was a stupid tradition. _

_L closed his eyes and turned away from his friend._

"_I'll wait a bit more," he replied, clutching the rose. He had to see her, had to talk to her. He couldn't allow such beauty to slip through his fingers. "Just in case."_

_Ryuuzaki didn't reply to him – not that L was expecting him to. The only answer he received was of the door slamming shut. _

_The House lights grew dimmer._

_L slid down onto the floor, drawing his knees up to his chest. He continued to watch for any sign of the ballerina, beginning to chew on his thumbnail as he waited for her appearance. The minutes ticked by at a torturously slow pace, and then several figures emerged from behind the curtain. They were all female, he could tell easily, and among them was his prima ballerina. She'd changed out of the angelic white he'd seen her in earlier, and was now donned in a normal sweat suit that bore the name of her school. _

_After rising to his feet, L approached them. A shy smile wormed its way onto his face as the girls became aware of his presence. The prima ballerina was not as beautiful as she had been when bathed in the ethereal white on stage, but she was still attractive. His hormones were kicking in, and he could feel the heat rising to his face as she turned her grey eyes on him and gave him a quick once over._

_Without a word, L thrust the rose forward in her direction. This caused the girls around her to erupt in a fit of giggles and hushed whispers. The blush on his face darkened as the ballerina only stared at the rose in confusion. _

_He moved a step closer to her. "I... I really enjoyed your performance," he stammered. _

_The girls laughed again and began to chant: "Naomi has a boyfriend, Naomi has a boyfriend!" _

_The ballerina named Naomi flushed prettily and then one of her hands rose to grasp onto the stem of the rose. L didn't know if she did it on purpose or not, but her fingers brushed against his own, and remained there for a moment longer than necessary. He let go and took a step back, bowing politely to her. _

"_Thank you," she whispered, "that's... that's very nice of you."_

_L swallowed. "It's nothing." I do it all the time, he thought; but he couldn't tell her that. _

"_There aren't a lot of boys who enjoy watching ballet," Naomi pointed out. "Are you a dancer as well?"_

_Releasing an embarrassed laugh, L scratched the back of his neck. No, not really; he hadn't taken a proper lesson in several years thanks to his father. And even though the old man was deceased now, he didn't want to ask his caretakers at the orphanage to enroll him in lessons – they had already done enough for him. _

_She seemed to somehow understand what he couldn't convey with words. A smile appeared on her face. "What's your name?" she asked, tilting her head to the side._

"_L... L Lawliet."_

_Her smile widened a fraction at the odd name. Holding the rose closer to her bosom, she nodded her head and stored away the information for later use.. "I'm Naomi Misora. Where do you live, L Lawliet?"_

_L told her the name of the orphanage. She looked sad for a moment._

"_Well you know... our dance school is always looking for male dancers. There really aren't enough," she began._

_L shook his head. "No, I can't," he interrupted, already knowing where this was going. _

_He would love to dance, love to be a part of that beauty on stage, but he couldn't; it had been far too long since he'd taken lessons. He wouldn't be able to catch up with the others his age – he'd never be able to learn fast enough. It would be a waste of time; he would only end up disappointing everyone. "I can't... it's been too long since I've had a lesson."_

"_Oh, I see then... Well, that's too bad. I would have liked to see you on stage."_

_L's cheeks darkened._

_One of the other dancers came forward and whispered into Naomi's ear. She made a small humming sound in the back of her throat. The girl giggled and stepped away, waving to her to follow as she began to make her way to the door._

"_I have to go now," Naomi said. "Thank you for the rose. I hope I can see you again."_

_L nodded. "I'll come to your next performance," he promised._

"_I'd like that." She walked away, joining her group of friends. L stared after her, a look of yearning in his eyes. _

* * *

L did not show up for the next lesson, something which Light found angered, relieved, and disappointed him all at the same time.

It pissed him off, the fact that L would leave him with such an absurd (and could it even be considered flirtatious? Light thought so) compliment at the café several days ago and then not have the gall to show up at the next lesson. Light supposed that the other man could have just made other plans since he didn't have any classes to teach, but he severely doubted that was the case; L didn't really look like the type of person who had a social life, so the probability of him having plans was very low.

He was relieved because he wouldn't have to deal with any of L's insults. Light knew he'd made an improvement since the previous week. He'd only stepped on Naomi's feet once, and he felt quite proud of himself for that. But he knew that if L had been there, he would not have hesitated to point out every minor default in his performance. So because of that, Light was glad for the instructor's unexplained absence.

And yet... part of him wanted to see L again – he wanted to show L what he had learned. Even though L would undoubtedly tear him to shreds with his rude little comments about lack of posture (not that he could talk) and knees that were far too bent, Light still wanted to prove to the other man that he wasn't as bad as he seemed to think. He'd improved greatly over the week; even Naomi had praised him for that. But he didn't care what the woman thought of his performance, he just wanted to show L that he was getting better – he wanted to rub it in L's face.

_Look what I can do, L. Look what I can do that you can't. _

Without the presence of the hunchbacked instructor, the day's lesson seemed to drag on longer than usual. Light grew bored easily, though he pretended to remain interested in learning. For some reason, without L there to impress, repeating the movements of the dance over and over again just seemed rather pointless. Light couldn't care less about what Naomi thought of his dancing; the only one whose opinion mattered was L, and he was a no show.

Light contented himself with thoughts about the other man being too nervous to reveal himself. He was probably lurking about the studio somewhere, refusing to spy on Light out of his fear of being shown up by someone younger and better. Yes, that made perfect sense. Except... except, was L the type of person easily swayed by feelings of jealousy?

It was all too confusing. Light didn't know why he was even bothering to think about it, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know why L wasn't there – wanted to know what was more important than watching the progress of his partner's (was she? Light still needed to find out...) student.

Finally, after far too long (in Light's opinion) Naomi stepped away from him and stated, "I think that will do it for today. I'm very impressed, Yagami-kun. You've improved tremendously since last week. It really is a pity that L isn't here to see it."

"Yeah, I noticed he wasn't here..." Light commented, hoping Naomi would catch on to the hint that he wanted to know where L was.

Naomi smiled. "He's actually at a recital with his ballet class," she informed. "They're performing at Central Theatre along with some of the other local schools."

Light wondered why she hadn't gone with him. After all, the students in L's ballet class were pretty much her students as well, weren't they?

"Are you going to the show now?" he wondered as he made his way over to the coat rack to retrieve his leather jacket.

Naomi frowned, averted her gaze to the floor. She looked guilty, for a moment. "No, I... I'm afraid I have dinner plans," she replied, shaking her head. "But I'm sure he'll tell me all about it tomorrow."

Light nodded his head and removed his shoes from the top shelf, beginning to slip them onto his sock-clad feet and lace them up.

"Um..."

He paused in his movements, glancing over his shoulder at her. Naomi had moved so that she was leaning against the wall. She looked nervous. "Yes?" he prompted, finishing with his shoes and standing up straight.

She bit her lip, eyes flickering from Light to the baby Grand piano several times. It seemed as if she was mentally debating about something, and once she finally decided what she wanted to do she moved away from the wall and over to the piano, reaching behind it and pulling something out from the bag that contained sheets of music. Light was surprised to see it was a red rose.

"Here." Naomi handed the flower to Light, who stared at it for a long while with a confused expression on his face. "I know you probably have plans for the evening, but... would you mind dropping by the theatre to give this to L?"

"... A rose?"

_A red rose... don't those symbolize love?_

Was Naomi in love with L?

_Why is she asking me to give it to him? If she loves him, she should be giving it to him herself. If I give it to him it will look like I'm the one who's in love with him..._

Unbidden, a blush appeared on Light's cheeks.

Naomi laughed nervously. "It's not... it's not what you're thinking, I'm sure. I just feel bad about not being able to be there."

"But he's not even performing, so what does it matter?" Light wanted to know.

"Look, I know you won't understand, but please... I would really appreciate it if you just delivered this for me."

Light searched her eyes, trying to extract the purpose for this out of them. But her grey eyes were just as unreadable as L's own for the time being. He had no choice but to give up and give in. What would one stop hurt? It wasn't as if he was doing anything special that evening.

"All right," he conceded, reaching out and taking the flower into his possession.

Naomi grinned radiantly at him. "Thank you very much, Yagami-kun. It really means a lot to me."

Shrugging his shoulders, Light made his way to the door. "Sure, no problem," he said. "Thank you for the lesson, Naomi-san. I'll see you next week."

* * *

_This is stupid_, Light thought, leaning against the back wall of the House. _Why am I even here?_ He glanced quickly down at the rose in his hand, fighting the urge to just throw it into the nearest trash can. He had no reason to be doing this for Naomi. He was already paying enough for those ballroom dancing lessons; he didn't need to be doing any additional favors for her. _At least I didn't have to pay to get in._

He stifled a yawn as he watched the young dancers on stage. They couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen years old, so at wasn't as if they were anything to look at. He supposed their dancing was rather impressive, though. One of the kids especially – a blonde girl (or was it a boy? Yes, it had to be a boy; he was not wearing a skirt like the others) donned in all black reminded him distinctly of L, with the passionate look that glistened in his ice-blue eyes. He had to be one of L's students.

The lights focused on center stage as a new figure was revealed. Light guessed that this would be the star of the show – most likely some pretty girl chosen to play the lead – and he was correct... partially. It was the 'lead' character in the dance that was revealed, but playing the part was not a ballerina, but rather a young boy. He wore a costume of all white, and what shocked him was that even the boy's hair was white (was it a wig, or just a completely bleached shade of blonde?).

The two boys danced together, the one in write taking on the girl's role easily. From where he stood in the back, Light couldn't make out their expressions very clearly, but he was pretty sure that he could sense a certain amount of hostility between the two boys. And he could understand why, too; it was probably embarrassing for them to have to dance _together_. Light felt especially bad for the boy in white, having to take on the part of a girl – in front of an entire audience, no less.

Light shook his head. This was undoubtedly L's class. Only from students of L would he see something so unconventional.

Luckily for him, the show didn't last much longer, as he'd arrived near the finale. He hung back as the other members of the audience began to file out of the double doors, eventually taking one of the free seats so he wouldn't have to stand any longer; his legs were beginning to feel sore.

As he waited, he closed his eyes, twirling the rose between his fingers, mindful of the dangerous thorns protruding from the stem. His mind began to wander back to the performance, the two boys who both reminded him very much of L.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he was eventually brought of his thoughts by the sound of his own name being called. Unclosing his eyes, he found L standing several feet away, his hands in his pockets – he wasn't wearing jeans, for once, Light couldn't help but notice; L actually looked rather dressed up in his black trousers and pressed white shirt.

He looked rather nice.

"I thought I'd spotted you from backstage," L said, advancing further. Light stood from his seat, hiding the hand with the rose behind his back. "I have to admit... I'm quite surprised to see you here, Yagami-kun."

"I'm quite surprised I came," Light said, shrugging.

L smiled. "Did you enjoy the show?" he asked.

Light scratched the back of his neck, recalling the two young boys dancing together. "It was... interesting. I don't know, ballet's not really my thing. But I guess it was okay."

An amused look crossed L's face before replaced by the typical neutral façade. "Yes," he agreed, "it was okay. I myself think it could have been better. But I suppose they did rather well... Mihael and Nate especially, I'm proud of them."

Light made a nonspecific noise in the back of his throat, and then after remembering the rose, held it over to L without a word.

L stared at it in a fashion similar to Light, when Naomi had handed him the rose earlier that same evening. He seemed frozen, and then hesitantly he reached out to it, placing his hand over Light's, holding it there for a moment longer than necessary before allowing the other man to let go.

"Yagami-kun... brought me a rose?"

Light's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "No, I... it's from Misora-san," he explained quickly, not wanting L to get the wrong idea. "She wanted me to bring it to you, since she couldn't make it."

The glimmer in L's eyes was snuffed out. "Oh, I see... and I suppose that is the only reason Yagami-kun came then," he said, more to himself than to Light – who overheard the statement regardless.

_Why else would I come? _Light couldn't help but think, because L didn't honestly believe he would go out of his way to see some dance performance, did he?

"Thank you for delivering this to me, Yagami-kun. I do appreciate it. But, please, next time don't let Misora-san force you to do things you don't want to do."

Light blinked at the bitterness in L's tone. He hadn't upset L by telling the truth, had he? For some reason, the thought made him feel a bit guilty.

"No, it's fine... I didn't mind coming. Besides, it was..." Light's voice trailed off.

L had already begun to walk away, heading briskly in the direction of the back doors. Light immediately followed after him. It was easy enough to catch up, even with L walking so quickly. He grabbed on to the other man's elbow.

"You don't need to look so upset. Misora-san had plans, and I didn't; I didn't mind bringing you the rose."

_Yes I did, what am I saying? Coming here was a waste of time that I could have spent doing something useful. Explaining this to L is a waste of time, too._

L held the rose to his chest, not saying anything. Light sighed. If he was going to be like this, then there was no point in staying there any longer. Light didn't need to be around him when he was acting so ridiculous.

It was L who stopped him this time, with a hand on his shoulder.

"What?" He sounded more irritable than he'd meant to.

L stared at him with those blank charcoal eyes. "I was just going to thank Yagami-kun again. It was very kind of him to go out of his way."

Light shrugged the hand off his shoulder. "It's nothing," he assured, turning to leave once more.

"And," L interrupted, "I was wondering... if Yagami-kun had plans for the rest of the night."

Light stood there, his eyes widening a fraction at the words. What was L asking him? "No," he found himself saying, due to urge to find out what had brought on the question in the first place. "I don't. Why?"

L shifted his weight onto his other foot. Light couldn't help but think he looked a little bit younger that evening, despite the fancier attire. "Would he, perhaps, care to go out for a drink?"

Go out for a drink? With _L_?

Light was not a man who drank often, so he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. There was also the fact that he didn't know L well – the man was only the co-owner of the dance studio, they'd only met and spoke on a handful of occasions, so they could hardly be considered friends.

"... I don't see why not," he found himself accepting the invitation anyways.

* * *

_Lawli: I know this probably seems like a very LxNaomi fic right now, but I promise the main pairing is LxLight! L and Naomi have a sort of complicated relationship... they love each other, but they are not in love (though it is hinted that they once did have romantic feelings towards each other). Hope it's not confusing anyone._

_Anyways, please tell me what you think of the chapter! I really do love hearing your opinions!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Lawli: Sorry about how late this is. I just totally lost inspiration for this chapter halfway through it. Luckily I got it back. Sadly, Nano is over so I can't say this is a Nanowrimo Novel anymore. But that's okay... I never expected to finish it in time anyways. All that matters is that I'm updating, finally!_

_**Invader Puppet** sent me a link to an amazing fanart of L and Light dancing, and it just made my jaw drop because of how well it fit this story. If anyone wants to see it, let me know and I will send you the link to it. I'd put it up in the chapter, but I'm not sure if allows me to put links in the chapters or not, and I don't want to risk my story getting taken down.. Heheh._

_Anyways, please enjoy the chapter, and forgive any spelling or grammar errors you might see (or point them out to me, so I can go back and fix them!) Sorry again for the long delay._

_I'm still counting the words, just for fun...  
Chapter Word Count: 3,530  
Total Word Count: 17,339_

**

* * *

**

**Capitolo Cinque**

"I've never been to a club before."

L gave Light an incredulous look, unable to believe what he was hearing. Light was a young guy – young guys normally went clubbing with their friends, didn't they? Unless Light was unpopular... but that seemed highly unlikely, considering his good looks and likeable personality. There was also the fact that he was dating Amane Misa, who – in the biography he read about her in _Eighteen_ – apparently loved to go out dancing.

"Are you serious?" he wondered, quirking an eyebrow. "You're engaged to Amane Misa and you've never been to a club?"

Presently, the two were standing outside of a popular underground nightclub that L had suggested they pay a visit to, as it was one of his favorites.

Light shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't understand what marrying Misa-san has anything to do with clubbing."

"Well, she's a socialite, right? Likes to gout dancing, I'm sure – most women do."

"Misa-san likes to spend time with me," Light told him.

"And what do you like?" L wondered, bringing a finger to his lips and beginning to chew on it thoughtfully.

Light cast him a sidelong glance. "Why do you care?" the younger man wanted to know as he took his place at the end of the semi-long line to get into the club.

"Because Yagami-kun is a student of mine, and I generally care about my students." Light raised a skeptical eyebrow at this, and L continued on. "And on top of that, he is also my new friend. So what does Yagami-kun like to do?"

Light started at the word 'friend'. Did L really think they were...? They barely knew each other! Amber eyes narrowed slightly as he thought for a moment about his answer. What did he like to do in his free time? "If I told you I enjoyed sitting at home reading, what would you say?"

L grinned. "I would say that Yagami-kun is the most boring individual I have ever met, _if _that were the case. But I believe that that is not the case, and that Yagami-kun is lying to me if he tries to say otherwise."

Light flashed his ID in the bouncer's direction as they finally reached the front of the line, noticing L doing the same thing out of the corner of his eye. The burly man standing guard at the front door allowed him by without so much as a look down at the license.

"And you know this because...?"

"Because noting about Yagami-kun has struck me as boring yet."

The door opened for them, and L's words were lost to Light's ears as the first wave of music invaded him. They stepped inside. The nightclub was not especially crowded, as Light has initially expected it would be. It looked about half full; most of its occupants were already out on the dance floor, lost in the rhythm of the music.

It struck Light as odd that L would suggest they go to a place like this. Since he was a professional dancer, Light thought that L would absolutely detest the thought of a place that promoted such... well, _unprofessional_ dancing. But L looked completely at ease inside the nightclub, his eyes partially closed and his head bobbing slightly with the hypnotizing beat of the music that blared through the loudspeakers. Light noticed that he had un-tucked his dress shirt.

The only displeasure that could be seen on the older man's face was when he was forced to yell over the music in order for Light to properly hear what he was saying. "Shall we get a drink?" he suggested, pointing with one bony index finger to the bar.

Light nodded his head. That was what he came out for, anyways. A drink. _Not_ to be with L.

"Sounds good," he agreed, following behind as L began to weave his way around the thick crowd gathered along the borders of the dance floor.

The bar was lit with dim lights, the marble countertop surrounded by stools with cracked, fake leather cushions. L slid into the nearest available stool, swinging his legs around it and obviously trying to figure out if he could manage to bring his feet up into his favored sitting position; it wasn't going to happen, and so he pouted and settled on letting his legs dangle from the stool like a normal person, for once.

"They should make these seats bigger," he said to himself with a frown, beginning to swing his left foot idly out of either boredom or a nervous habit (Light couldn't tell which).

"So..." Charcoal eyes watched as Light situated himself comfortably beside him. "How did you and Amane-san meet?" he asked.

Light wondered why he was being asked so many questions about his fiancé. Was L really that big of a Misa fan, or was he just nosy?

...Or was it something else entirely...?

He shrugged indifferently, closing his eyes. L could detect that he was still wondering just what on Earth he was doing in this place, with him, of all people. He was at a popular nightclub with one of his dance instructors – sitting beside him at a bar, as if he was an old friend or drinking buddy.

After a slight period of silence, Light decided to finally answer. "Our parents introduced us when we were younger – it was probably just after they arranged that we'd be married. She's pretty much been attached to me ever since."

"Ah, I see. You're her one true love, I take it?"

Light smirked. "Yes." _Unfortunately_, he added to himself. Sweet as she was a majority of the time, Amane Misa was hardly his first choice for the perfect wife.

"Hmm..."

L pursed his lips, leaning forward slightly and motioning with his hand to capture the bartender's attention. The attractive man behind the counter nodded, finished serving a drink to the customer in front of him, and made his way over to the pair.

"L," he greeted, a large smile on his face, "good to see you again." He offered L his hand and L shook it politely. Light quirked an eyebrow.

"Aiber... a pleasure seeing you, as always," L replied.

Aiber brought his hand back down to his side. "So, where is the lovely Misora-san on this fine evening?" he wondered, glancing around in search of her.

Light noticed what appeared to be a bout of sadness wash over L's eyes before quickly disappearing as quickly as it had come.

"Busy tonight, I'm afraid," he said, eyes falling shut. He clapped a hand on Light's shoulder twice, causing the younger man to jump slightly and shoot him an annoyed glare in response. "So I brought someone else."

Aiber locked his gaze on Light, looking him up and down with his scrutinizing pale blue eyes. Satisfied with what he was seeing, he gave a nod of appraisal and then smirked in L's direction. L, seeming to catch the suggestive gleam in his eyes, smirked slightly and rolled his eyes skyward. Light shifted on the stool, feeling a bit uncomfortable being looked at as if he were a fresh slice of meat.

After tearing his eyes away, Aiber motioned behind himself to draw attention to the large selection of alcohol available to the pair. "Well, what can I offer you two gents this evening?" he asked.

"Strawberry Daiquiri for me," L said with a wave of his hand before turning to his companion. "And what will you have, Yagami-kun?" he wondered.

Light blinked in surprise. "Me? Oh... I don't drink," he said, shaking his head. From behind the bar, Aiber chuckled, though he was too preoccupied with beginning to fix L's drink that he didn't see the glare shot in his direction. "I mean... I'm not really in the mood for one right now." He was still trying to figure out what in God's name had made him agree to go to a bar with L in the first place, and not being able to come up with a decent explanation was making him frustrated.

L quirked an eyebrow at Light and leaned forward slightly in his chair, making a decision. "He'll have a Sex on the Beach."

Light shot L a questioning look, which the older man chose to disregard – he focused his large grey orbs on the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"L-Lawliet-san, I just said I don't drink," Light reminded him, amber eyes narrowing slightly.

"I know, Yagami-kun. However... it would be very rude of you to decline a drink that someone has ordered for you," L said after a moment, bringing a thumb to his lips. One of his feet moved slightly so that the barstool spun away from Light and then moved it again to spin back. "You needn't worry; it's on me. If you truly do not want it then you do not have to drink it, I suppose... but, as I just said before, that would be very rude."

Light scowled and turned away from him. He supposed it was a nice gesture, L buying a drink for him and all, but still that did not make him the least bit appreciative. Nevertheless, the order had already been placed and Light knew he would look like a jerk if he refused to drink it.

Not that he gave a damn if he appeared to be a jerk in L's presence – L was nothing to him, after all. He meant so little, in fact, that Light could just pick up and leave right at that moment; he didn't have any obligation to go out with L. But he didn't. He stayed right where he was next to L, sighing his consent to drink the Sex on the Beach that the other man had so _generously_ ordered for him.

When his drink arrived, he took it without a word and raised it to his lips. If it was absolutely disgusting, then at least he could say he'd tried it. And then he could take the excuse to spit the drink out in L's face. The thought caused him to grin. That would be amusing, indeed – not to mention satisfying.

After taking the first sip, he was surprised to find that he actually liked the taste of it. The alcohol was strong, but otherwise the drink tasted like a combination of citrus juices – he liked it a lot, and didn't hesitate to take another gulp. L cast him a knowing look, and Light ignored him.

"Um... excuse me?"

He turned around, coming face to face with a young woman who looked to be about his own age, perhaps a little bit older. She was slim, with shoulder-length brown hair that reminded him of his sister's, and kind hazel eyes that were staring at him timidly.

"Yes?" he asked, setting his drink down beside him.

The girl brought a hand up to flatten her hair so that she looked more presentable. "Well, I... I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to dance." Her cheeks reddened as she extended the offer, and out of embarrassment she turned her gaze to the floor and stared intently at her toes, which were visible through the open heels she wore.

Light didn't know what to say at first. He hadn't expected anyone to ask him to dance, but really he should not have expected anything else. He was an attractive guy, after all, and he was not afraid to admit that he knew he turned heads with his appearance. It caught him off guard, though, and for several seconds he sat gaping at her before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, forcing himself to look a bit guilty for having to turn her down. "I'm actually engaged."

The girl looked crushed, but not for long. After several seconds she was grinning again, blushing slightly. "Your fiancé is very lucky to have such a loyal husband-to-be," she commented. "I'm jealous!"

Light chuckled softly. It wasn't anything he didn't know. Beside him, L was smirking.

* * *

One hour and two Sex on the Beaches later found Light in much better spirits than he had been when he first sat down at the bar. The dance floor was looking awfully inviting, and Light didn't know how much longer he could fight the urge to join the many other club-goers on the floor. Beside him, L was twirling his chair back and forth at a much faster pace than he had been earlier, a silly-looking smile on his face as he swayed, eyes closing halfway. 

"So, why'd you tell that girl no?" he asked suddenly, referring to yet another girl whose offer to dance Light had shot down. "She was pretty cute..."

Light shrugged. "Not my type. Besides, I'm loyal to Misa-san."

L rolled his eyes. "Of course... Light-kun is a good man, a much better man than me. If I was Light-kun and all of those women were asking me for a dance, I don't think I would be able to decline."

Light noticed the way L had slipped into calling him by his first name, but the alcohol in his system was relieving him of the ability to care. He shifted closer to the older man, lowering his eyelids very slightly. "I suppose, then, that you are not in a serious relationship?"

L lifted his head slightly and cast a wry grin in Light's direction. "Is this Light-kun's way of asking if I am single or taken?"

Light's face remained an unmoved fascia, and he shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "If Lawliet-san wants to take it to mean that, then I suppose so."

L made a show of bringing a hand to his face and stroking his chin with his index finger, as if he had fallen into deep thought. "I wonder why Light-kun would wish to know such a thing. Could it be that he is interested...?"

Unbidden, a light blush colored Light's cheeks. "I'm just curious," he said, before elaborating, "Lawliet-san and Misora-san seem very close... it's crossed my mind that the two of you might be dating, that's all."

"Misora-san..."

The look on L's face became wistful. He took a long sip of his third daiquiri, eyes locking on the ceiling as he searched for the right words. "I love Misora-san very much... we've known each other since we were young. But I am afraid that she is seeing someone else. A shame, really; we look very good together."

"So you never...?"

Light's voice trailed off, but L managed to supply the words for him. "Fooled around with her?" He laughed – a low, hollow sound that sent a chill up Light's spine. "When we were younger... I suppose you could say we were an 'item'. But not anymore."

"And there's no one else that you... you know, like?"

Really, this was beginning to sound like a conversation between two high school girls –talking about crushes and fooling around and things like that. But just as Light found himself unable to care about L using his first name, L found himself unable to care about their discussion topic.

"There might be someone that I like," L hinted, winking at the other male. "But that person's identity is really none of Light-kun's business."

Light frowned and took another sip of his drink. L did the same. For the next several minutes, neither of them said anything. It was a rather uncomfortable silence, but Light was used to having those settle between the two of them – it was really hard to feel one hundred percent comfortable around a man like L Lawliet, so awkward silences were bound to be plentiful. Thankfully, there was music to fill in the emptiness that lack of conversation had created.

"Why if it isn't L Lawliet!"

The silence was invaded by a blonde bombshell, who approached the pair with all the agility of a cat. Her full red lips were pulled upwards in a smirk, her curled blonde hair bouncing slightly with each step forward that she took. L turned in the stool, focusing his blank charcoal eyes on her.

He nodded his head in greeting. "Wedy."

"I was wondering when you would come and visit me," Wedy said, fitting herself in the narrow space between L and Light's barstools. "And I see that Misora-san is not with you this evening... does this mean I have you all to myself?"

"Wedy would like that, wouldn't she?" L replied, a hint of amusement in his eyes, though his voice remained in a typical monotone. "But I am afraid that I do have company... Wedy, this is Yagami Light."

He motioned to Light with one bony finger, and Wedy directed her blue-eyed attention to him.

Another bright smile separated her lips and she scooted a bit closer to him, draping an arm around his shoulder while taking his other hand in her free one. "Yagami Light... why, aren't you a doll," she commented. "L, I would have never thought you would go for pretty boys like this... but I suppose I can't blame you."

Light's cheeks reddened and he sputtered, horrified by the implication. There was no way that this woman thought that... that he and L were actually... _together_? They could barely even be called friends, for God's sake!

L merely shrugged his shoulders.

_Why didn't he say anything?_ Light wanted to yell. Even with the alcohol keeping him in good spirits, having it suggested that he and L were a couple was definitely _not okay. _Instead, he cleared his throat, shifting away from Wedy uncomfortably. "N-no... Lawliet-san and I are just friends," he corrected quickly.

Wedy glanced between them, resting her eyes on L for a particularly long time. L stared at the ceiling, refusing to meet her gaze. A knowing smile appeared on her heart-shaped face. "Of course... Well then, since that is the case... I would like to have a dance with Yagami-kun."

Light's amber orbs widened slightly; he found himself blushing again. Wedy was gorgeous; even if he was engaged, there was no way he could ever turn a woman like that down. He opened his mouth, ready to eagerly respond, but L beat him to it.

"I am afraid that is out of the question."

Wedy looked over her shoulder at L. "Oh? Why is that, I wonder...?"

"Because," L answered, "Light-kun is engaged, and he is very loyal to his fiancé. He would never even consider dancing with another woman." Wedy looked disappointed and slightly unconvinced. L stood up from his barstool. "I, however, am completely available."

Wedy made a humming noise in the back of her throat, looking him up and down. "I suppose you are a decent substitute," she decided, standing straight and offering L her hand; he took it without hesitance.

L flashed a grin at Light before making his way to the dance floor. Light couldn't keep from glaring at him.

_Bastard_.

* * *

Light didn't know how it happened. 

One moment, he was seated at the bar – still nursing his drink and watching with envious amber eyes as L and the woman named Wedy joined the mass of dancing young adults. The pair (awkward looking as they were, mainly due to L's outlandish appearance) blended in perfectly with the other dancers. As strange as they looked together, there was nothing remotely uncomfortable about their dancing; they moved together as one, invading one another's personal space in the sexual rhythm encouraged by the beat of the music.

Light felt his face grow warm just watching them. His eyes lingered on L, watching him as he moved – rotated his hips just slightly so that they connected with Wedy's. Even with the distance between them, Light could make out the surprised (yet pleasured) look on Wedy's face that the action brought forth, and he swallowed, shifting in his seat.

He would have never thought L could do that sort of thing._ L_, of all people! It just... it just wasn't right; it didn't look natural! L didn't look like the type of man who could move his body so well...

He couldn't look away, as much as he wanted to. His eyes were glued to the spectacle, and he knew that L could sense him watching... and he didn't even care. Maybe he wanted L to know he was watching... maybe he wanted L to see that he was... that he was...

That he was _what_, exactly?

Jealous. He was jealous. But who was he jealous of?

L... he had to be jealous of L, who was able to bring pleasure to a woman such as Wedy with a single rotation of the hips. Because obviously, Light did not want to be on the receiving end of such pleasure. So he had to be jealous of L... it was the only thing that made sense.

After taking one last sip of his drink, Light slammed it down on the countertop and stood from his stool, having made a firm decision.

He walked to the dance floor.

* * *

_Lawli: For as much of a pain in the ass this chapter was to write, I actually really like it, for some reason. Maybe it's just because of L's obvious flirting? Or Wedy making her awesome appearance (I love Wedy, she's so cool, I couldn't resist adding her to the story). _

_Hopefully my next update won't take as long. But I can't make any promises, since I have three exams coming up this next week (that I probably should be studying for..)_

_Until then, please tell me what you think of the chapter! I love hearing your opinions!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Lawli: What? Is this for real? Am I actually updating this fanfic?! YES! Haha, it's so funny. I started this chapter back during Xmas break, thinking I'd definately get it done around that time since I was on break and all... But then I suddenly lost inspiration for it for all these months. Today, though, it suddenly hit me. I've honestly been writing this fanfic all day - while I was at work and everthing, which was awkward 'cause my dad kept walking by my desk (I work at his office) while I was writing the scene between L and Light (you'll see it soon ;P ) and kept asking what I was writing. I was like "uhh.. nothing.. heheheh..."_

_Anyways. I never got around to sending everyone the links to the Dancing picture, I don't think. So I'll just post it here if anyone wants to see it. Actually, there's two - both of which are very sexy and have given me a lot of inspiration for the story (especially the one scene in an earlier chapt. where L dances with Naomi)._

**http : / i23. photobucket . com / albums / b387 / LittleAtemu / 46677b81 . jpg**

**http : / i23 . photobucket . com / albums / b387 / LittleAtemu / b0faf7c8 . jpg**

_Remove the spaces, and all that jazz. :D_

_Okay, so... FINALLY, here is the next chapter of Dancing in the Dark. (I've noticed that another DN fanfic has been posted with the same title... and its really good! Go read it!)_

_One warning before the chapter: DRUNK, OOC LIGHT-O!! And some yaoi... ;D_

* * *

**Capitolo Sei**

The air on the dance floor was thick, almost tangible in its humid weight. It caught Light off guard for a moment, it was heart to breath in such stifling heat, and he initially had to take a step back and away from the grinding mass of club-goers just to prepare himself. He couldn't stay away for very long, though – what, with the way the music seeped into his veins and traveled through his blood to his brain, overtaking him completely and lulling him into a trance.

Slowly he moved forward again, eyes briefly falling shut before opening and focusing straight ahead on the target. L's hips were still rotating hypnotically – Light couldn't bring himself to avert his gave, however much he may have wanted too; he stared unabashed at the spectacle L and Wedy created together.

Light swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry as L's charcoal eyes lifted and met his own. The heat radiating from that gaze knocked the breath out of him, almost causing him to yet again stop in his tracks. The connection lasted for several long seconds, and that was enough time to fuel Light with a new determination.

L's hips rocked against Wedy's. The woman's lips parted in a murmur of approval that was lost over the pounding beat of the music. She shifted so that her body brushed entirely and enticingly against her dance partner's. Light quickened his pace, soon reaching the duo.

He caught L's wandering eyes, immediately picking up on the challenge present in them. Smirking, Light wound an arm around Wedy's slender waist, pulling her (and consequently L) closer to himself and beginning to move his hips against hers in a way that mimicked L.

Over the music, the two men could faintly hear Wedy's amused laughter.

"My, my... aren't I so lucky?"

But with a single glance between the pair, Wedy could easily assess that it was not her attention that L and Light were vying for. She could see it – see it in the way L reached his arm out further to gently caress Light's hip – and she could feel it – feel it in the passionate, competitive heat they created between them. The one they wanted was not her; she was just a front to mask their true intentions; each was much too stubborn to straightforwardly announce their need for the other.

Wedy rolled her eyes. Typical men; she would have to take matters into her own hands, as usual.

She continued to dance, meanwhile steadily shifting her body out from the sandwich L and Light had forced her into. They hardly noticed the gap between themselves diminishing – or, if they did (she supposed L did; L was aware of everything, even when drunk) they did not make any complaints about it – and in a matter of minutes their bodies were glued together.

For the first time in a long time, Wedy saw L's eyes light up with excitement. His lips even turned upwards in a smile.

She hadn't seen him look so elated in years. In fact, the last she could remember was when he and Naomi were still together...

- - -

Whatever talent Light lacked in his ballroom dancing classes he more than made up for during the song he danced with L. L could hardly believe that this was the same man who said he'd never been to a club before. L decided Light had to have been lying. Where else could he have learned to move so seductively? L severely doubted he'd retained such knowledge from his high school days.

L also had to wonder if Light understood what was going on – if he realized that Wedy was no longer between them, that their dancing had leapt from normal to abnormal with the absence of the woman.

For L, a dance partner was a dance partner. Male or female made no difference, so long as they could keep up with him. Perhaps that was why his dance classes were considered so controversial; he had a habit of giving the Prima Donna roles to boys, if they proved more talented than the girls. It was something that he knew was frowned upon by society. But, well... L had never been one to care about what people thought.

Light, on the other hand... Light was a different story. The young man lived with a sort of perpetual fear of making some kind of social faux pas. That Light would actually dance with him (another male, and a rather unsightly one, at that) in front of others... it didn't seem right. It didn't...

One of Light's hand rested on the small of L's back, fingers positioned just above the hem of his dress pants. L's eyes widened a fraction as the younger man's face came incredibly close to his own, hot breath washing over his lips, nose, cheeks, smelling distinctly of Sex on the Beach and... Oh, right.

Light was drunk.

Three or four cocktails were enough for someone who wasn't used to alcohol. L had only finished two strawberry daiquiris, and since he never had more than a drink or two on occasion (Naomi almost always kept him from drinking whenever she accompanied him out, unless they were both in desperate need of stress relief) and he as well was feeling the affects.

Because why else would he be staring at Light's lips so intently, thinking about how full and soft they looked? It had to be the alcohol getting to his head.

The hand on his back pushed him closer. L's gaze shifted slowly from Light's lips to his amber eyes, which were half-lidded and reflecting the multicolored lights that blinked overhead in time with the music. His body pressed insistently against L's and it felt so different than dancing with Wedy or Naomi or any other person he'd ever done this with.

"Light-kun?"

What was happening to him? L was not a man who got flustered easily. He usually had a great deal of control over his emotions, even when drunk. But he was excited – the kind of excited he used to get when thinking about Naomi. How could Light – someone so completely different than Naomi, than himself (in most ways) have such a profound affect on him, on his body?

Was it because it had been such a long time since his last sexual release? L wasn't completely hideous, but he wasn't exactly attractive either, and he knew that. It was difficult for him to find partners, as most people didn't want to put in enough time or effort to see past the hunched back and too-wide, sleepless eyes to get to know him. Naomi was one of the few people who had been willing to give him a chance, and she had been the only woman who'd ever agreed to sleep with him (Wedy was nice and she flirted and danced with him, but he knew she would never go as far as to sleep with him).

They'd done it a few times – each time awkward and hardly enjoyable despite L's attempts to make it so. They'd loved and been attracted to each other (right?) but it hadn't felt right, and ultimately it led to the end of their "more-than-friends" relationship (because while Naomi would say it was fine, and that they didn't need to have sex, it was something that changed – especially when she found Raye, a man who could give her that kind of pleasure).

...Why was he thinking about Naomi?

A sigh escaped him. One of Light's legs slid between his own, thigh brushing against his growing arousal and L shuddered. It had been a strange idea of his, to see if he could lure Light onto the dance floor using Wedy, but he hadn't really expected Light to take him up on the challenge – nor did he expect to enjoy dancing with him so much.

Hands settling on Light's hips, he ground against the younger man, who groaned quietly. Light's mouth was against his ear, lips just brushing his earlobe, tongue teasing him whenever Light wet his lips innocently.

This wasn't appropriate. Light was his student – well, not _his_ student, per say, but still. It wasn't right that they were doing this. It was true that L didn't care what people thought of him, but even he was able to recognize boundaries that shouldn't be crossed – and this was one of them. Especially because Light was drunk and would never even consider doing this if he was sober. Before Wedy, Light had turned down countless girls who were all far more attractive than L. If he was in his right mind, Light would never even consider this, and... Could this be seen as taking advantage of him?

The song had long since ended, but neither male noticed right away. The DJ was speaking now, though what he was saying fell on deaf ears.

"...Kinda tired," Light said, the words betrayed by the erection L could feel pressing against his inner thigh. His body was anything but tired. Nuzzling against L's neck, Light asked, "Can we sit down?"

L nodded wordlessly, stepping away from Light and instantly missing the way they fit together. He gripped Light's wrist and pulled him towards the bar.

Once they were seated (Light insisted they get a booth rather than sit at the bar again, Light leaned against him, lips pressed against L's shoulder, smiling.

"You're a good dancer."

L tried not to be affected by their proximity. Light was drunk (and it was L's own fault) and didn't know what he was doing, and L refused to take advantage of him even if it had been a long time since he'd last had someone act so interested in him. Swallowing, L tried to bring his feet up on the cushion – he needed to think straight now more than ever; Light being so close made it heard to concentrate on anything – but the younger man quickly reached out, setting a hand atop L's knee and forcing it back down so that he sat normally.

His hand lingered there, rubbing his leg, slowly moving north.

"I... I should hope so," L finally said, licking his suddenly dry lips.

Light smiled, finding the flush on the other's face highly amusing. "You're embarrassed," he noted, hand momentarily ceasing its upward trek. "I realize this is rather... uncharacteristic of me, but..." He kissed L's shoulder. "There's something about you I like, Lawliet-san."

It was strange, Light essentially feeling him up yet addressing him so formally. L avoided his gaze as he corrected him. "Just L."

Another kiss against his shoulder. L closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath of air and wishing that Light would stop touching him like this.

"Just L," Light repeated, "I'd like another drink."

"I think you've had enough," L replied quickly. This was inappropriate enough as it was; he didn't need to be fueling the fire, he'd done his fair share by starting it in the first place.

"How unfair... earlier you were forcing me to drink."

L frowned, trying desperately to ignore Light's hand, which was approaching his groin. "I didn't know you would be such a sexual drunk," he said, more to himself than to Light, who overheard regardless.

"I'd have thought you'd enjoy it. You were the one flirting with me before."

Unbidden, L's cheeks reddened. It mortified him that Yagami Light could make him blush, because he _didn't_ blush, _ever_.

"Just because one enjoys something doesn't make it right."

"Now you're going to lecture me on morals?" Light rolled his eyes. "Isn't it bad enough that you constantly harass me for being a bad dancer?"

L made the mistake of looking down at Light, into his amber eyes which were wider and glassier than usual. Was this really the same Light he'd seen each Thursday for the past few weeks? The proud, proper Light who feared even being seen in such a place as a dance studio?

"You're not a bad dancer," L admitted. "I... you're very good, Yagami-kun."

He was hoping calling him by his surname would remind Light of the kind of relationship they were supposed to have (a professional one, and nothing more), but the younger male was past the point of being deterred and L was gradually losing the resolve to stop this from progressing.

L ordered Light another drink to give the other something to occupy his hands with. It was a last resort, one that proved stupid and ineffective, as halfway through it the drink was abandoned by Light in favor of L's neck.

The older male stifled his moans best he could, hands gripping Light's shirt tightly. From the bar he could see Aiber smirking at him, and if Wedy wasn't still on the dance floor she'd be laughing, and if Naomi could see him now (oh God, what would she _think_ if she saw him behaving this way?!)

"_Nng..._"

Light's teeth grazed over his throat. L bit down on his lower lip, eyes screwing shut. "Yagami-kun –"

"Just Light," Light interrupted him, using L's words from earlier, to which L responded in a similar way.

"Just Light..."

The kiss was sudden, unexpected though he should have seen it coming. Light's lips had been traveling up his neck; it was easy to conclude that he would run out of space there and move on to newer, unexplored territories.

Light's lips were warm and just as soft as L expected, full against his own thin lips. They were slightly wet, thinly glossed with saliva and remnants of Sex on the Beach.

God, it felt good to kiss him. It shouldn't feel this good, L should feel ashamed of himself for thinking such a thing – and about someone engaged to be married, no less!

Maybe it was just because he hadn't been with anyone in so long. Maybe because when Naomi kissed him she only did it out of pity, seeing he had no one else. Maybe just because it was _Light_ and Light was just... just... _ohh..._

There was a hand against his crotch, massaging him through his now-too-tight pants. L slid his tongue over Light's lips and the other parted them, pressing his body closer as he allowed L entrance into his mouth.

Their tongues began to dance. It was the only dance L wasn't particularly skilled in, in which he was forced to let Light take the lead and teach him the many intricate steps. A low moan escaped the younger man, who tilted his head to the side, shifting to sit in L's lap as he dominated the kiss. His fingers moved up to the zipper of L's pants and he was about to pull it down when suddenly he froze.

Light's eyes were larger than normal, face extremely pale. Saliva from their messy kiss dribbled down his chin.

L breathed heavily, not wanting to stop now that he'd already given in to the persuasive younger man. "_Light._.." He didn't want to acknowledge the desperation in his voice. Reaching up, he curled an arm around Light's neck to draw him closer, about to close his mouth over the other's.

"I'm gonna be sick!" Light blurted.

- - -

The next morning, Light awoke in an unfamiliar room, naked and with a pounding headache. He groaned, stretching underneath the pale blankets, bringing a hand to cover his eyes and block out the intruding rays of sun. Futilely he tried to remember what had happened the previous evening. He recalled bringing L a rose from Naomi, accompanying L to a club for some strange reason, and going onto the dance floor with the help of three very persuasive drinks.

Everything after that, however, was blank.

Cracking open an eye, he peered around the room through a gap in his fingertips.

Where was he?

What had he _done_ last night?

There was someone talking in the next room. Light wanted to tell them to shut up as they were only increasing his headache.

"_No, he's here."_

It was a familiar voice. Irritatingly familiar. Where did he know it from?

"_I know it was... No, I'm not going to... –erreacting, -ora-san."_

Light couldn't make out the whole of what the man (it was definitely a man) was saying.

"_...to go. Bye." _

There were several beats of silence, and then the door opened.

"Ah, Light-kun, you're awake. Good morning."

..._**L**_?!

* * *

_Lawli: The next chapter has already been started... Can't guarentee it'll be out soon, but I'll try! Thanks for reading! Please leave a review on your way out, it would be most appreciated!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Lawli: Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I was so happy to see that people didn't abandon reading this story!! __So... I'm in the process of thinking of a Theme Song for this fic now that it's gotten to chapter seven. (I think it deserves a theme song for making it this far! lol). Any thoughts?_

_Back to the fic... Misa is finally introduced in this chapter, and we get to see a little more from L's past._

_Please read, enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review on the way out? :D?_

* * *

**Capitolo Sette**

**_L_**...?!

...What _the fuck_?!

What was he doing in L's house? Was he... Oh God, he was naked – did that mean they...? Did he actually _sleep_ with L? The mere thought made him want to hurl. There was no way he would... no, no way. He wasn't... _like that_. Maybe L took advantage of him? Was L that type of person?

Light's thoughts must have been transparent, for L smiled and shook his head, stepping further into the room.

"It's not what you're thinking, I'm sure," he said, approaching the bed.

Light watched him warily, squinting his eyes to block out the rays of sun which they seemed to be extremely sensitive to that morning. L wasn't wearing a shirt, Light quickly noticed; only a long pair of red pajama bottoms that hung low on his narrow hips, revealing the waistline of his white boxer-briefs. The skin of his chest was milky pale, nipples pink and _why was he staring at L's chest, again_?

"Why am I naked?" Light demanded to know.

L stood by the edge of the bed, staring down at Light. "You threw up," he explained easily. "It got all over your clothes. Mine too, actually, though I've chosen not to be angry about it."

Light blushed darkly. He'd really thrown up all over the other man? And L hadn't been so disgusted to just leave him at the bar by himself? "Oh, God... I'm so sorry, Lawliet-san—"

L held up a hand to stop him. "Don't be. As I said, I've chosen not to be angry."

That didn't make it any less humiliating. "Still, I—"

"Would you like some breakfast, Light-kun? Perhaps a cup of coffee? That might help with your hangover."

Light rubbed his forehead, suddenly aware of the throbbing pain in his skull as he'd been too worried about what had gone on between himself and L the previous night to take notice of the ache sooner. "Uh, yeah... coffee would be nice, thanks. Two creams, one sugar."

Nodding, L left the bedroom, leaving the door open behind him.

"Your clothes should be finished in the dryer soon," his voice rang out from presumably the kitchen several moments later. Light could hear a cabinet opening and closing. "For now, feel free to wear something of mine."

Trying his best to ignore the pounding in his head, Light got out of bed, glancing around the room self-consciously. It was strange, being naked in another person's house – especially when it was a person he didn't know very well.

The first few drawers Light searched through revealed undergarments. L had a mix of boxers and boxer-briefs, most of which were plainly colored either white, black, or blue, though some of them had patterns on them – once with dancing panda bears, two with ice cream cones, and a few that said things like '_want to see my bone?'_ and depicting puppies.

Disturbed by the fact that he was actually staring at L's underwear for this long, Light quickly grabbed a pair of black boxers before all but slamming the drawer shut. The boxers looked fairly new, but it grossed the young man out, thinking that L may have worn them in the past. He certainly trusted that they would be clean (they smelled like laundry detergent, after all), but just the idea of them having touched the dance instructor's privates was disgusting. Nevertheless, Light sucked it up and hurriedly put them on, not wanting to risk L walking in and spotting him completely naked.

Light tried to ignore that L had probably already glimpsed him entirely naked, as he was probably the one to remove him of his barf-stained clothes the previous night.

Pushing those thoughts from his mind, Light moved onto the next drawer, which revealed something rather unexpected: women's panties and push-up bras. Light stared, wide-eyed, at the lacy thongs for several moments before shaking his head and slamming that drawer shut as well.

Not in the mood for any more surprises, Light exited the bedroom in just boxers and wandered down the brown-painted hall that led him to a small kitchenette. L's apartment was rather quaint – tinier than Light's own, though giving off a more homey feel with its warm-colored walls. The smell of fresh baked goods hung in the air, its source an open box of pastries that sat on the counter.

L stood behind the counter, stirring sugar into a mug. He looked up as Light entered, smiling at him again and handing him the coffee, which Light took gratefully.

"Want some medicine?"

Not even waiting for a response, L began to rummage through one of the cabinets, extracting a bottle of painkillers which he also gave to a thankful Light. Light took two of them with his coffee before handing the bottle back over. Several moments passed in which neither said anything. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable, but a little bit awkward considering Light still didn't know all the details about the night before.

"Please sit down." L gestured to the kitchen table and began to walk towards it, coffee cup in hand. He seated himself at the head of the table and Light (wanting to keep a safe distance for obvious reasons) situated himself at the opposite end.

They drank their coffees in silence, Light staring down at his lap nervously (wishing he'd taken one of the undershirts from L's room) and L gazing out the window beside the table, the blinds of which were drawn open to let in the mid-morning sunlight.

Out of the need to just say something, Light commented, "nice place."

L cast his eyes on the younger male, shrugging his shoulders despondently. "I suppose, though I can hardly be praised for the way it's decorated. If it was up to me, everything would be painted neutral colors."

Light didn't tell him that that was how his own apartment was decorated – whites, blacks, and grays; the simpler the better, he figured. He took another sip of his coffee and L did the same (though L had a habit of slurping while he drank, something which Light wrinkled his nose at).

"So..."

L quirked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Not exactly sure whether he even wanted to know, Light hesitantly questioned, "what happened last night?"

Amused, L set down his mug, placing his hands on his kneecaps afterwards. "I was wondering when you would ask. I suspected there would only be a thirty-two percent chance that you would remember."

"...Right," Light replied, not knowing what else to say to that. He waited for the other to continue, and when he didn't Light prompted, "well?"

L, who had popped a finger into his mouth and begun to suck on it, tilted his head to the side. "Oh yes," he spoke around the digit. "We went to a club and you had a bit too much to drink – admittedly, this was my fault, Light-kun, as I bought the drinks for you. I apologize." He hardly sounded sincere, but Light didn't dwell on that for long. "We danced for a while with a friend of mine – Wedy – and shortly thereafter Light-kun got sick."

Light nodded his head. He remembered most of that, but he also felt as though there was something L was leaving out. "Is that all?"

"That is all," L did not hesitate to reply.

Why then did he faintly recall pressing his body against L's on the dance floor – feeling the older man's arousal through his pants?

"So nothing happened... between us?"

For a moment it seemed as though L wasn't going to answer, which terrified Light, who took that to mean that they _had_ done something they shouldn't have.

Finally, L shook his head. "No, Light-kun. Nothing happened between us."

Light released a sigh of relief. Across the table, L's free hand tightened on his knee, the soft-looking material of his pajama bottoms bunching between his fingers.

The timer of the washing machine went off, L abruptly standing from the table and leaving without a word. There was something hostile about the way he moved, and Light had to wonder if he'd done something wrong.

"Your clothes are ready, Yagami-kun."

_Yagami-kun?_

Light blinked at the sudden switch over to his surname. Why was L being so formal all of the sudden? Was he angry?

The dance instructor re-entered the kitchen with a small pile of clean clothes in his hands, which he passed off to Light. "I apologize if it seems like I'm rushing you, Yagami-kun—"

"Just Light," Light found himself interrupting, not missing the way L's eyes widened a fraction, the usually blank gray depths glistening with an emotion Light couldn't quite identify.

L wavered, looking uncertain of himself for a brief moment, before returning (faster than Light could even blink) to his usual emotionless self. "Yes, Light-kun, then. I apologize if it seems like I am rushing you out, but I have a class this afternoon."

Light stood up from the table; he had things to get to as well. "Right, well... I'll go change then."

L nodded. "Please do. There is a bathroom just through the second door to the right."

Thanking him, Light departed to go change into his clothes from the previous evening. They smelled like a mix of vanilla and lavender fabric softener.

By the time he returned to the kitchen, L was already waiting by the door, dressed in a pair of blue sweatpants and a short-sleeved top bearing a Nike check, which looked strange since Light had only ever seen him in long sleeves.

Light met his gaze for an awkward moment before politely bowing to him like the well-mannered Japanese boy he was. "Thanks for letting me stay here," he said.

L was about to smile, but seemed to catch himself and refrained from doing so. "Not a problem, Light-kun."

Light paused at the doorway. "I... guess I'll see you next week."

"I guess so."

He decided to leave it at that. Bowing one more time, Light left the house. It took him several minutes to find a bus stop near the apartment complex, but eventually he did and for the entire ride back to his house Light couldn't stop thinking that L was hiding something from him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Light! Light, where have you _been_? Misa's been so worried about you!"

Light known he should have expected this, but he hadn't been prepared to face her so soon. Really, all he'd wanted was a few hours to himself once he got home to think – to try and piece together the fragments of his memory that were still out of place. The last thing he'd hoped for was to see Amane Misa standing on his doorstep, looking as though she hadn't slept at all the night before. But that was what greeted him, and thus he was forced to deal with it.

"I'm sorry, Misa-san," he said, allowing her to wrap her arms around him tightly. "I was out with a friend last night, and decided to stay at his place since I'd been drinking a little." He conveniently left out details about throwing up over said 'friend' and waking up naked and slightly amnesiac in the apartment of that same 'friend'.

"Misa was trying to reach you all night! Why didn't you answer your phone?"

In the noise of the club, he hadn't even heard it ringing – but he hardly wanted to tell her where he'd been. He didn't know what her reaction would be if he admitted to going to a club. She'd probably jump to the conclusion that he was cheating on her.

An image of himself pressed against L's body filtered into his mind and he quickly shook his head to get rid of it. He didn't want to be thinking of L in that way. Even if they had danced – there was still no proof that they had, L didn't say anything about that ever happening so it could just be a product of Light's overtired imagination – there was no way that Light would ever consider getting involved with L in a... romantic sense. Or any sense at all! He couldn't really even call the man his friend! Sure, L had been more than kind to him, but Light still knew relatively nothing about him.

Realizing that he still hadn't answered Misa – and the young woman was staring up at him expectantly, her pretty pink lips curved in a frown – Light tightened his arms around her, running a hand through her hair. She was so small in his arms, unlike... No! He was not comparing holding Misa to the _possibility_ of having held L; he was _not_!

"I guess I was distracted. I'm sorry, Misa-san. I didn't mean to worry you."

Misa sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest. "It's all right... Misa's just glad you're okay."

They stayed on his front porch for a while, Misa gently nuzzling his chest and Light staring blankly down at her blonde hair wishing, for some reason, that it was black.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_L had noticed the lights appeared brighter than usual. Stage lights were always bright – to bright to stare directly up at – but tonight was different somehow. He could feel them practically burning into his skin; he was sweating more than usual, and they weren't even very far into their routine yet._

_Naomi caught his eye as he placed an arm around her waist. She tipped to the side, extending a leg into the air and twisting her torso so that their faces were parallel. He held her like that for several seconds before bringing her upright, taking a step to the left while she took two to the right, crossing one leg in front of the other._

_She inclined her head towards him, offering a hand. Her gray eyes portrayed the worry she felt. The lights cast a shadow across her face and his as well as he moved them downstage._

_What are you doing? He could see the silent question written on her face. L was bringing them out of the light; what was he thinking? _

_The lights are too bright. Too bright, too bright. I can't..._

_A hand fell against his back and the world started spinning – spinning, spinning, spinning, until all the colors and lights mixed together and became darkness._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

L was surprised to see Light entering the dance studio the following Tuesday. Since showing for the allotted hour on Thursday already seemed like such a chore for the young man, it was unexpected that he would turn up on a day he was not scheduled for lessons.

"Light-kun," he greeted politely, "what brings you here?"

Light shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on one of the provided hooks before turning to face the hunchbacked dance instructor. "Misora-san called me this morning and asked if I could stop by today. It appears I hadn't improved as much as she would have hoped by this stage in my lessons, so she asked me to start coming in on Tuesdays as well."

L frowned, wondering why Naomi never chose to inform him of this. Tuesdays the studio was closed to the public, after all – the two dance instructors using the day to brush up on their own skills, as well as spend time alone together (something they seemed to be doing less and less often, as of late). That Naomi had suddenly scheduled a private lesson on _their_ day... well, L wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I'm afraid Misora-san isn't here yet," he informed Light, stepping out from the narrow corridor that led to the back offices and changing rooms and into the actual studio. "She usually doesn't show up until one on Tuesdays." It used to be that she would arrive with him at ten, but ever since she and Raye became more serious she began showing up later and later.

Light turned to face L, watching as the older man came closer and closer until they stood almost in a closed position themselves – the only thing missing being that they did not have their hands on one another. Unbidden, a blush crossed Light's cheeks and he had to keep his eyes averted to the floor.

"That's okay," Light answered, trying to keep his voice steady. L was so close to him, and his presence coupled with the images of what may or may not have happened at the club flashing through Light's mind it was difficult to concentrate – much less breathe. "I can wait."

"I hope you don't mind if I practice, then?"

Unable to find a voice, Light merely shook his head in response, releasing a sigh as L finally stepped away from him and began rolling up his baggy shirt. "Good." He tucked the shirt into the stretchy, tight pants Light just noticed he was wearing. "I usually prefer practicing by myself," he explained as he walked over to the shoe rack. "However, I do enjoy Light-kun's company."

Light didn't know if he should respond to that or not, so he ended up not saying anything and just watching as L began to untie his running shoes. When bent over like that, the curve in his back almost seemed... elegant. Running a hand through his hair, Light looked away, trying to focus on something else – which was difficult, since no matter where he looked there was a mirror reflecting L.

"So... why a dancer?" he blurted, the question always having been at the back of his mind. Light didn't know if this was the appropriate time to be asking it, but he wanted to say something to break the silence, and dancing seemed like a relatively safe topic.

L gave him a strange look over his shoulder, stepping out of his tattered running shoes and striding barefoot onto the cool wooden floorboards of the main dance floor. Light remained by the front door of the quaint studio, watching the older man move over to the _barre_ fastened on the opposite wall.

"Why a business man?" L countered, placing one of his hands on the wooden bar.

Light frowned and removed his own shoes. "I don't know," he replied.

_Because it's a normal job_, he added to himself; _it's a normal job for a man like me to have_.

"Most people I know believed I would become a police officer, like my father. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, you know, to make him proud... but it just wasn't for me. I don't really believe in the judicial system we have – I could never enjoy working for something I think is so flawed." He took one step onto the dance foor. "And you?"

L feigned a clueless disposition, pointing to himself with one of his half-eaten fingernails. "Me?"

Light rolled his eyes at the act and approached the other man, coming to stand beside him at the _barre_. "You didn't answer my question. Why a dancer?"

In the mirror, Light could see L's reflection smiling back at him – a grim sort of smile.

"Well," L began slowly, eyes falling shut. "My mother was a dancer – a ballerina, one of the most famous of her generation. The way she danced, Light-kun... it made her look as if she were a puppet on strings, she was so beautiful on that stage."

"So she taught you how to dance?"

L paused, his gray eyes falling to the ground, clouding over with an emotion that Light was not used to seeing on him. L looked... sad, for a moment.

"Sort of. She couldn't always be there for me, but she had confidence in me, knew that I would learn even if she wasn't there personally to help. It was her dream to see me become just as famous as her," L explained.

"And did you share that dream?" Light wondered, leaning against the _barre _and staring up at L curiously.

He didn't know why he was asking all these personal questions. L was hardly the type of person who enjoyed talking about his past – rather, he loved to keep everything bottled up inside. Light was genuinely surprised to hear him giving away so much information, but he was eager to learn whatever he could about the intriguing man. And maybe that was why he asked. He just wanted to know L. If he knew everything there was to know about L, maybe then Light could figure out what was so positively magnetic about him.

L lifted one of his legs so that the heel of his foot rested on the _barre_ and proceeded to stretch – curling his body forward and touching his toes easily with the tips of his long fingers. "I wanted to make my mother proud," he answered simply, as if that were reason enough, as if it didn't matter what he wanted as long as his mother was happy and proud of him.

"You use the past tense," Light pointed out. "Is your mother...?"

He couldn't say it; it felt too uncomfortable to suggest such a thing. L, however, had no qualms about admitting the truth.

"Dead?" he finished for Light, tilting his head to the side. "Yes. She died when I was nine."

L continued to stretch, switching to his other leg. Light watched him, unable to understand why the wistful look in those charcoal eyes caused him to feel depressed. He shifted uncomfortably, keeping his attention off of L for the time being and instead focusing intently on the floor.

"... I'm sorry," Light said, unsurely. Should he be apologizing? Did he bring up unwanted memories?

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Light-kun," L assured, placing both feet firmly on the ground. For the very first time, Light noticed that he had the feet of a ballet dancer – instead of facing forward, he could make the left foot face left and the right foot face right and look perfectly comfortable standing that way. "You were just curious, that's all. You've been coming here for four weeks now – I'm actually surprised you didn't ask sooner."

He brought his arms above his head to stretch the muscles, and when he brought them back down as his body shrunk back into its usual slouch. "I hear Misora-san at the door. I shall leave you to your lesson, Light-kun."

With that, L exited the room, and several seconds later the door opened to reveal Naomi Misora.

* * *

_Lawli:_ _So the relationship is (slowly) starting to deepen! Now all Light needs to do is figure out his emotions already. Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review, I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter!!_


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